What Are Some Good Password Utilities?

I don't trust any computer to store my login/passwords... I do however trust my own mental capability to remember them all (for now).

If the password remembering is for websites only, I use mozilla firefox to save the passwords. It automatically prompts you if you want to save passwords and you can choose between "Save", "Not Now", or "Never For This Site". You can always go into firefox settings and change which sites have remembered passwords, etc. I think there is also an add-on (I don't recall the name of it) that prompts you for a 'master' password before you can use the browser.

If you do use something to save your passwords on websites, make sure to clear all cookies. I do this after each time I close my browser (it is a setting on firefox that automatically does this for me).

I keep mine handwritten on paper.

Though not strictly a "password maintenance utility," the following open-source Perl script is a nice one for generating passwords:

#!/usr/bin/perl

## ***************************************************************************
#
# genpass v1.0 (06.2007) Password Generation Program
# Copyright (C) 2007 Jon Brown
#
# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# To read the full text go to [url="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt"]http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt[/url]
#
# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
# GNU General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
# along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
# Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
#
## ***************************************************************************

use strict;
use warnings;
use Getopt::Long;
Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling");

## PARSE AND SET COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
## -----------------------------------------------------
my %flags=('symbols', 0, 'numbers', 0, 'uppercase', 0, 'lowercase', 0, 'confusable', 0, 'help', 0, 'qty', 1, 'version', 0);

GetOptions( 's|S|symbols' => \$flags{symbols},
'n|N|numbers' => \$flags{numbers},
'u|U|uppercase' => \$flags{uppercase},
'l|L|lowercase' => \$flags{lowercase},
'c|C|confusable' => \$flags{confusable},
'q|Q:i' => \$flags{qty},
'help' => \$flags{help},
'ver|version' => \$flags{version} );

# Set password characters, excluding those flagged on the command-line
my $pwdchars = join( '', map {chr} ( 0x21 .. 0x7e ));
$pwdchars =~ s/\d+// if ( $flags{numbers} );
$pwdchars =~ s/[A-Z]+// if ( $flags{uppercase} );
$pwdchars =~ s/[a-z]+// if ( $flags{lowercase} );
$pwdchars =~ s/[_\W]+//g if ( $flags{symbols} );
$pwdchars =~ tr/1Il0O//d if ( $flags{confusable} );

# If user triggered the --help option flag, display and exit
if ($flags{help}) {
&DisplayUsage();
exit();
}
elsif ($flags{version}) {
&DisplayVersion();
exit();
}

## START VALIDATE INPUT
## -----------------------------------------------------
my $kill=0; # flag to stop the script if input is invalid (or --help is used)
my @errmsg; # error message descriptions

# If -q option was used to set a quantity of passwords, make sure it contains at
# least a value of 1 so that a password can be generated
if ($flags{qty} == 0 || $flags{qty} < 0) {
$flags{qty}=1;
}

# Check that user hasn't excluded all character-types, warn user, kill script
if ( length($pwdchars) == 0) {
push @errmsg, "** 0x1: At least 1 character-type must be included";
$kill=1;
}

# Check that user has passed only 1 argument (LENGTH) other than options flags, warn user, kill script
if ($#ARGV > 0 || $#ARGV < 0) {
push @errmsg, "** 0x2: Incorrect number of arguments passed";
$kill=1;
}

# Check for only numeric input in LENGTH argument, warn user, kill script
if ($ARGV[0] !~ /^[0-9]+$/) {
push @errmsg, "** 0x3: Invalid input. LENGTH argument must be a numeric value";
$kill=1;
}

# If any of the above validation tests triggered the $kill flag...
if ($kill == 1) {
print "\n** GENPASS ERROR ---------------------------------------------------------";
print "\n** ".@errmsg." Error(s) found"; # display number of errors
foreach my $err (@errmsg) { # display error messages
print "\n".$err;
}
print "\n**\n** Type genpass --help for command usage\n";
print "** -----------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n";
exit(); # exit script
}
## END VALIDATE INPUT

## START MAIN SCRIPT
## -----------------------------------------------------
# From 1 to qty

for ( 1..$flags{qty} ) {
print &GenPass( $ARGV[0] )."\n";
}
exit();

## END MAIN SCRIPT

## FUNCTION DEFINITIONS
## -----------------------------------------------------
sub GenPass() {
my ($pwdlen) = @_;
my $limit = length( $pwdchars );
my $pwd = '';

for ( 0..$pwdlen-1 ) {
$pwd .= substr( $pwdchars, rand( $limit ), 1 );
}

return $pwd;
}

# use Here-Documents to display usage text
sub DisplayUsage {
print <<"USAGE";

Usage: genpass [-snulcqX] LENGTH
Generate secure passwords LENGTH characters long.

-s, --symbols\tExclude symbols.
-n, --numbers\tExclude numbers.
-u, --uppercase\tExclude uppercase letters.
-l, --lowercase\tExclude lowercase letters.

-c, --confusable\tExclude confusable characters like: l,I,1,0,O

-qX\t\t\tCreate X number of passwords.

--help\t\tDisplay Usage information.
--ver, --version\tDisplay version and license information.

Report bugs, comments, and questions to jbrown_home\@yahoo.ca

USAGE
}

# use Here-Documents to display version text
sub DisplayVersion {
print <<"VER";
genpass v1.0 (06.2007) Copyright 2007 Jon Brown

This is free software. You may redistribute copies of it under the terms of
the GNU General Public License <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by Jon Scott Brown
VER
}
__END__

Hi msm98lw,

All the sensitive ones I keep in my head like RVZ717.

For the seemingly countless web site registration passwords, I just use Notepad.

Mike

I used to use and swear by Whisper but switched to KeyPass several months ago and like it.

I went through the same search... in the end I decided the best way was to keep a very heavily password-protected Microsoft word document (i.e. one with a ginormously long, difficult password) in which I have a table to store all my other passwords (4 colums... eg CR4 | www.etc | username | password).

Every time I register a pasword somewhere I open the document and add that to the list - takes a few seconds only and it doesn't require me to install yet another program to slow down my computer.

It doesn't help me when I'm not at home, although I could email the document to my web mail I suppose.

As far as I know Microsoft Word's password protected documents are secure - am I living in a fool's paradise?

Hope this helps...

Hi RobertOz,

As far as I know Microsoft Word's password protected documents are secure - am I living in a fool's paradise?

Uh, yea'ah!

Any phrase including "Microsoft" and "protected" is a contradiction in and of itself.

Mike

But I bet I could slip "is not very well" into that phrase and get something meaningful...

Hello msm98lw,

Well where to start.............. I for one have used and will never use Norton 360 or any other norton app. It does over-write just about everything and produces endless files. However, if you want to keep this, and you may not have a choice anyway, as it is terribly difficult to get rid of.

Have you thought of a USB Personal ID TAG system. Your flash drive can read your finger print, system..........

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Fingerprint ID

www.m2sys.com

Industry Leader in Fingerprint Identification Technology. Search Results

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www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/apple-patents/

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Apple's Future iPhone Patents Show Fingerprint ID For Different ... 2 Jul 2009 ... The most interesting is the fingerprint ID directly on the screen so that the iPhone can see which finger you're using and ... Please enter a username. Please enter your password. ... Copy this whole post to another site ...

gizmodo.com/.../apples-future-iphone-patents-show-fingerprint-id-for- different-gestures-plus-more

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I am of the coded reminder notes on physical paper persuasion for my passwords.

However, should the need arise to help someone who has lost or forgotten their passwords, I can recommend www.loginrecovery.com which will recover your lost passwords so long as you have access to the computer concerned, and a few minutes to load a recovery disc.

Hope this helps

OmniPass

Very secure. Operates with Bio (part of me...in my case, finger print) credentials...or not. For me it's replaced uncountable paste-its, and inestimable inconvenience/grief.

UG

Hello, I use RoboForm2go, I have it installed on a memory stick and have it set up to locked at all times and require a password to use. I just have to remember 1 password and it remembers the rest. The program encrypts the passwords, and you can set up an automatic lock, that way it will lock when you are not using it. I have mine sent to lock in 20 minutes of non use. It also locks when it is removed from the computer. It will even fill online forms for you. I love it, been using it for a few years now. I learned about it from Leo Laporte. http://www.roboform.com/

If you want to call me toll free click here:
https://me.vonage.com/mglatfelterjr
This is a toll free call.

Get computer help from Michael Glatfelter
download crossloop @ www.crossloop.com
http://www.crossloop.com/TestCrash

I just use ************* for all my passwords!

Thanks all!

There are a lot of good ideas here. Some methods I didn't know about. I'll sort through it this weekend.

Hi msm,

Thanks for your appreciation!

Good luck.

Transfer them into storage at your personal security ID guard site

I am well pleased with KeePass. It can be downloaded here free.

I'd just like to say that ANY software or website is hackable, nothing coded by a good man, is completely impenetrable by other code made by an evil man. So depending on the sensitivity of the passwords, hard copies are always the safest (with the exception being locked inside your own cranium).

Hello RVZ717,

In reply in part to your post ＃20, This is precisely why I have never chosen to open a web bank account! ............................. TO RISKY!

I to go go hard copies and my mobile for some PW's. I never use my phone on-line just as a phone.

Take care.

That's why I use ROLODEX.......by rolodex. It sits here on my desk in its own happy little spot so my fingers can do the walking when needed. If need be I can lock it in a drawer or safe.

I will not store anything of importance on my computers. Confidential files are saved directly to other media. It's just too easy for the hacking scum (I'm being nice) to infiltrate.

If my brain worked a little better I'd store them in my head too. But alas.......I.....thoughts....es..cap...e....what was I saying?

Hello snygolfgs,

I apsolutely and totally agree with you and the way you work and use your computer with ref' to safety!!!!!

My family and friends know little about any safe ways of working and put a lot of faith in 'god', literally to keep them safe.

Well I am the one who decides what I enter and what I save on my computer, certainly no greater entity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care my friend.

with the exception being locked inside your own cranium

Be careful that type memory can be perishable or develop dependability issues

"hard copies are always the safest"

I disagree. People can find your notebook. With KeePass, there is a password to open the program, and other passwords are not shown, but may be copied to applications to open them. My employer has approved it for use at work. I use it at home too.

-S

so.... you need a pasword to be able to remember your passwords?

Why does everyone need so many passwords?

Hi RVZ,

You say "Why does everyone need so many passwords"? ......................

Why indeed. When they were hardly know ten years ago! I get really pis-ed when I ring my bank only to ask for my password. Why, They have my account numbers. I know it is all about safety, fine. ............... But, why not have>>> 'alphanumerical' <<< passwords? Just like the real world and real computers do.

It would give a very much more save environment to deal with. And instead of figuring out a 'password' which is in fact a 'pass number' made up from 10 digits 1-9 +0. Have a alphanumerical type of password and it can contain 36 digits!

As an instance look at the 'chip and pin' for credit and, debit cards, just 4 digits. How can they pretend this is safe? I am not saying have l-o-n-g-e-r passwords, just ones that have alphanumeric detail.

l I can remember names I cannot recall a list of numbers.

Take care

Why bother with alphanumerics when encryption is the answer

Hi wire,

I agree with what you say. Trouble is they seem to treat the person (whose money makes them money) as a fool and we have to prove who we are before we can get any details about our account. As long as they have this 'chip and pin' system on cards why not enlarge it to include the alphabet.

What is more frustrating is, I know there is only one of me with my name, address, postcode etc, so why do I need to have to go through the password thing even when using my high street bank? It is a pi-s take first class!

Take care.

Hi SG,

Please see my post 30. Take care.

Have a look at SplashID (splashdata.com) -- simple to use, small footprint.

I store my keys on a flash card.

The flash card R/W is stand alone.

Hi wire,

Are you fine?

I store my keys on a flash card.

As far as I know.................. And that's 'pushing things! LOL ;=) ................ Each time you use your flash memory it produces a Temp' file, which may contain the 'get-a-table' (maybe) passwords? ................ Just a thought, and a reason for keeping an external hard copy of passwords.

Someone mention the >>> Rotofile <<< (I think it was) this seems ideal to me and email address' could be kept on the same files. They take hardly any room and there is no way they can be 'lost', and all pertinent details can be saved on these files in the event you get a new computer and or change your way of working?

Take care my friend.

Defragging the flashcard rids of slack space...

Regards.

Please check:

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It is famous for "Stand-Alone" Applications.

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