
I have long heard about 1Password, a password management tool for the Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Recently I realized that rotating my 3 or 4 standard passwords between sites was at best challenging, and at worst a security risk, as if one site was compromised all other sites using that email/password combination were at risk.
I never took the plunge because it seemed like it would be a lot of trouble to set up. Fortunately, that was not the case. 1Password's browser plug-ins make it easy to add passwords to its secure data store as you go, and change them at your convenience. The built-in random password generator ensures that you have a password that not even you know.
1Password from Agile Web Solutions is a bit pricey, but has already saved me a lot of difficulties remembering which password goes to which site. Even better, though, is the fact that now every single site I use has a randomly generated nonsense password. The main password file is replicated between my laptop, iPhone, iPad and desktop computer, as well as on an online backup, so I'm confident I can recover from most failures without losing any passwords.
It's a bit strange that I no longer have any idea what my passwords are... this will be an interesting conversation if I ever get interrogated by some agency who wants me to reveal them... instead, when I need a password I open 1Password and copy the password I need into the password field.
Even easier, though, are the browser plug-ins for Safari and Firefox. They allow me to just click a button, enter my 1Password "master password" (the only one I memorize now), and 1Password takes care of the rest.
If you are using duplicate passwords on a variety of Web sites, it might be time to look at using a tool to enhance your security. Now that I rely on it the price seems negligible.
I highly recommend 1Password as an investment in your online security.