KeePass Password Safe
Password strength is a very important element of computer security. I mentioned in the Windows 2000 Security article that a good practice is to use passphrases instead of passwords. This is still true, but there is an even better solution and it is KeePass Password Safe.
“KeePass is a free/open-source password manager or safe which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk.” ~KeePass Website
There are two common problems concerning password security. 1 – People use short passwords because they are easier to type. 2 – People use the same password for multiple accounts because it is easier to remember.
KeePass alleviates the struggle between convenience and security by creating long passwords and remembering them for you, as well as giving you drag and drop functionality so you never have to type out your passwords.
How does it work? You must first create a new database and then enter a master password or create a keyfile. This will be used to open the database which will contain all of your other passwords. I recommend using both a master password and a keyfile. Be sure to use a long password as your master password; my master password is over 30 characters long. Think of a song lyric or a phrase that will be easy for you to remember. This is very important because if your KeePass database is ever compromised all of your other passwords will also be compromised.
Your next step is to add entries into the database and then save it. It is very simple to add the entries with the form that KeePass provides for you. KeePass even comes with a random password generator and a graphical bar to show you the strength of your passwords.
After that, all you need to do in order to login to your favorite website is to drag and drop the username and password fields from the KeePass application to the website’s login form. It is very simple.
So what is the catch? Well, if you ever lost the database or keyfile due to hard drive failure or any other reason then you could lose access to all of your accounts. I shouldn’t have to say it, but backup your important data.
Another thing you should be careful about doing is leaving your database unlocked. Always remember to close KeePass when you walk away from your computer.
Visit the KeePass website: KeePass