A good password manager?

A

ajax

100+ Posts
This is getting out of hand, with several bank accounts and brokerage accounts.

I just found out that I still have unexercised stock options from one of my old employers, after a few weeks of "why the hell is this brokerage sending me statements?" which then became "Awesome, free money!!!"

But their password restrictions are bizarre, like "must be between 4 and 12 characters, but cannot be 8 characters, must containing at least one number, one symbol (#, $, %), and must contain an anagram of either 'john', 'paul', or 'ringo'."

Any recommendations?
 
I think my dad uses one that came with Quicken. I used Norton's for a while but I didn't like it very much. Then again, I use variations of the same two passwords for everything, so I don't really need a password manager.
 
Open up Notepad.

Write the name of the site
Write the username
Write the password

Skip a Space

Write the next name of the site
Write the next username
Write the next password.

Continue until you have all your stuff in.

Flick on File, choose save, name it whatever you want.txt and put it somewhere on your hard drive.

And you are done without having to spend a penny on stupid software that you don't need.
 
NAIU has the best answer....oh wait, you could be like me and always use a permutation of the same password and PIN. it narrows it down and for the love of God change it at least every 42 days (as MS suggests) and mix in numbers or special characters. it's not hard, you get used it real fast. I have 3 laptops and it takes me about 3 tries but hey, it's worth it.
 
yeah what the hey, it's only your finances.
an unencrypted plain text file works great!

rolleyes.gif
 
scharnkle,

If someone is going to work hard enough to break into your computer to steal your finances, do you really think some BS encryption regimine in password "manager" software is going to stop them? Trust me, its not.

You very likely aren't making enough money to be a target of someone who breaks into computers, anyway. Even if you are, the first time you type in the password, you've just given that person who broke in your password, because they would have already isntalled a key logger and have monitored every keystroke you've made.

Those software compaies are not providing you a product that you need, they are simply making money off your paranoia.
 
Perhaps our circumstances are different. I'm not even referring to outside hackers. I have about thirty passwords I use that are vital for work and other stuff. Company website, credit card logins. Who knows what could happen when I'm away from my desk at work? If your teenage son has some punk friend snooping around your home network in between Halo sessions? What if you buy a new machine and give it away forgetting to delete that one file. Heck there are a million different ways to get that information without being a "hacker".

At least with the excel spreadsheet idea you could password protect it. Using at least a 6 character non dictionary password and a brute force attack would take hours.

Of course there are no foolproof ways to protect yourself, but then I bet you don't leave your car unlocked either.
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The software I recommended is free. As in completely free and open source.
 
Write them on a post it note and leave it stuck to your monitor at work. Be sure to leave extremely detailed directions for yourself on how to access the accounts. Include the name of the site, username, password, routing numbers, etc. Anything that may possibly relate to the website. Other people in your office surely will not read anything stuck to a post it note on your monitor, so you should be very safe.

Or use the space on your forearms as storage space. Have username/password combinations tatooed on there. You'll never leave home without them.
 
snarckle: use profiles on the PC and passwork protect a.k.a. lock your session when you step awau, it only takes 3 key strokes. do this and your "Eddie Haskell" cannot fins anything.

NAIU is right about the selling on paranoi.

ppl are lazy
 
postIt.jpg


Perfect solution. As an added bonus, you have a good excuse to upgrade to a larger monitor once you run out of space sticking them to the edges.
 
I just use a different list of my favorite football players.

Just imagine your bank as a defensive line and Larry Cole, Jethro Pugh, Bob Lilly and George Andrie turn into 63757466

Or your stockbrokerage a linebacker and Dave Edwards, Lee Roy Jordan, Chuck Howley turn into 525554.

26344320 is obviously the Cowboys starting backfield in 1971.
 
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