How in the Tech

Practice Safe and Secure Password Management with KeePass

By Adam Myers ⋅ December 9, 2008 ⋅ Tags: Security

We are living in a password protected society. Everywhere you turn you are prompted for usernames, passwords, pin numbers, security question and answers, etc. Starting a typical day for myself involves a password for the computer, a password for my email, a password for IM, and a password for the file server – and this is just in the first 5 minutes of a routine day! How are you ever to keep track of it all? If you are like most, it involves the same username and unfortunately the same password across multiple systems and profiles. You are probably aware that this is a horrendous method as it relates to security, but in the end, convenience and your memory, or lack thereof, win out. I’ve got a better idea that is free and easy.

KeePass is an open source password management utility that can house all your various usernames and passwords. If you are a fan of using sticky notes to remember your password, think of KeePass as nice leather wallet that you can keep all your stickies in except this wallet has a master lock that secures the whole thing. With KeePass you only need to remember one master password which unlocks all the secured information. With only one password that you must remember, there is one less excuse for you to duplicate passwords across multiple systems or accounts.

KeePass quickly allows you to create and organize your account information in any manner you see fit. In addition to providing a utility to randomly generate secure passwords, you can also get a visual assessment with respect to the security of your own passwords. A good quality password puts up a strong defense to brute force attacks – or guessing of your password.

Using KeePass to retrieve a password is even easier. Simply locate the correct entry and double click on the desired field in your password list. The data is then transferred to your Windows clipboard where it can be pasted into whatever login box is necessary. After pasting, KeePass is intelligent enough to clear the clipboard to prevent accidental pasting elsewhere.

KeePass is completely free and can be run from a USB thumb drive – which really makes it something you shouldn’t be leaving home without.