Keeping track of passwords across multiple platforms - Was Re: Can I Password Protect a Dropbox File
Hello Eric, Rick, and others who are interested in password syncing and keeping them handy. Here's what I highly recommend. MiniKeePass from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/minikeepass-secure-password/id451661808?mt=8. Here's why. First, download the KeePass program for your PC from http://keepass.info/ and install it. I will cover using the iOS version, but first will cover the PC side of things. I just go with the version 1.x version and it works very well. When I open this program in Windows I create a new database. You can call it whatever you want. Your name is probably a good choice. This file will have a .kdb extension. This file can be saved in Dropbox so that you have access to it from MiniKeePass from your iOS device. Keep in mind that the MiniKeePass app doesn't read the dropbox located file directly, instead you have to use an app like Dropbox to open the file, and MiniKeePass will be one of the choices. Or, the other thing you can do is upload it from the iTunes file sharing when your device is connected. This isn't exactly automatic syncing, but as long as you know this, and as long as you remember to update the file after making a change either from the iDevice or the PC, then you will be good to go. Although the bulk of my message is on how to use the iOS app, some of it will cover using the PC version, which BTW, is very accessible with Window-Eyes on Windows 7. I would imagine it should be similarly accessible with other screen readers. First, the PC. When you run the program, and you already have a database file handy, you are prompted to open it using your password. Please keep in mind that if you lose the password, you are SOL, because this is all local, unlike LastPass or 1password, and there is no reset tool. Once the file is open, you have a general category and various subcategories. Just so you know, I got rid of all the subcategories and have everything in general. You can press delete to delete something. When you are at the general section, tab twice to get to the actual entries. Now you can use first letter navigation to get to what you cant, or you can arrow to the one you want. By default it will show the name of the entry, your user name, and the url. The password, for security reasons is now shown. I believe that Rick was asking how you do the actual login. Here's where it uses some manual switching because it's not automagic like LastPass. To copy the user name to the clipboard, press control-b. To copy the password press control-c, to open the url press control-u. So, what I do, since in most cases I know the user name and don't need to copy it, is press control-c to copy the password, then control-u to open the url. Because KeePass is awesome and secure, the password is removed from the clipboard after about 10 seconds. I don't remember if this timing can be changed. So, if you are a bit slower, open the url of the site you want to log into, type your user name, and when you are ready for the password, alt-tab to the Keepass entry and press control-c for the password, and then alt-tab to the web page where you are ready for the password and press control-v to paste. I use a clipboard manager to store copied information, and even using that, the password is removed from the clipboard memory after a bit. I really like that feature. Of course, you should add an entry before you use this, right? I should have mentioned that first. To add a new entry into your KeePass database, press control-y. Now type the name of the entry. Let's say Apple ID. Press tab to reach the user name and type that in. In my case it might be some-em...@gmail.com. Next press tab and you will reach the password entry. You can type the password you already use, or you can press tab to the button which Window-Eyes just reads as button and press space on it. This is the random password generator button. KeePass is very good about the random passwords it generates for you. Obviously you only want to use this when creating a new account on a web site, or if you are changing an existing account's password. In any case, after the password edit box and random button, pressing tab again takes you to the confirmation edit box. Either manually type your existing password in again, or just skip it if you used the random generator since it will already be in there. Now tab to get to the url edit box. Type in the url, example. http://appleid.apple.com and then press tab. This will take you to notes. you can put notes in here to talk about your entry. For example when I added my bank entry, this is where I put in my routing number, account number, and visa debit card number. The rest of the things you can do when adding a new entry are more advanced and not used by me, so I won't cover them. However you can attach a file to the entry, maybe a picture of a card, or photo ID, or whatever. In any case, the user name, password, url, and
RE: Keeping track of passwords across multiple platforms - Was Re: Can I Password Protect a Dropbox File
Raul, Thanks so much for the amazing step by step. This was extremely helpful. Much appreciated and I love the fact that Dropbox can be used. Best, Rick -Original Message- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Raul A. Gallegos Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 10:05 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Keeping track of passwords across multiple platforms - Was Re: Can I Password Protect a Dropbox File Hello Eric, Rick, and others who are interested in password syncing and keeping them handy. Here's what I highly recommend. MiniKeePass from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/minikeepass-secure-password/id451661808?mt=8 . Here's why. First, download the KeePass program for your PC from http://keepass.info/ and install it. I will cover using the iOS version, but first will cover the PC side of things. I just go with the version 1.x version and it works very well. When I open this program in Windows I create a new database. You can call it whatever you want. Your name is probably a good choice. This file will have a .kdb extension. This file can be saved in Dropbox so that you have access to it from MiniKeePass from your iOS device. Keep in mind that the MiniKeePass app doesn't read the dropbox located file directly, instead you have to use an app like Dropbox to open the file, and MiniKeePass will be one of the choices. Or, the other thing you can do is upload it from the iTunes file sharing when your device is connected. This isn't exactly automatic syncing, but as long as you know this, and as long as you remember to update the file after making a change either from the iDevice or the PC, then you will be good to go. Although the bulk of my message is on how to use the iOS app, some of it will cover using the PC version, which BTW, is very accessible with Window-Eyes on Windows 7. I would imagine it should be similarly accessible with other screen readers. First, the PC. When you run the program, and you already have a database file handy, you are prompted to open it using your password. Please keep in mind that if you lose the password, you are SOL, because this is all local, unlike LastPass or 1password, and there is no reset tool. Once the file is open, you have a general category and various subcategories. Just so you know, I got rid of all the subcategories and have everything in general. You can press delete to delete something. When you are at the general section, tab twice to get to the actual entries. Now you can use first letter navigation to get to what you cant, or you can arrow to the one you want. By default it will show the name of the entry, your user name, and the url. The password, for security reasons is now shown. I believe that Rick was asking how you do the actual login. Here's where it uses some manual switching because it's not automagic like LastPass. To copy the user name to the clipboard, press control-b. To copy the password press control-c, to open the url press control-u. So, what I do, since in most cases I know the user name and don't need to copy it, is press control-c to copy the password, then control-u to open the url. Because KeePass is awesome and secure, the password is removed from the clipboard after about 10 seconds. I don't remember if this timing can be changed. So, if you are a bit slower, open the url of the site you want to log into, type your user name, and when you are ready for the password, alt-tab to the Keepass entry and press control-c for the password, and then alt-tab to the web page where you are ready for the password and press control-v to paste. I use a clipboard manager to store copied information, and even using that, the password is removed from the clipboard memory after a bit. I really like that feature. Of course, you should add an entry before you use this, right? I should have mentioned that first. To add a new entry into your KeePass database, press control-y. Now type the name of the entry. Let's say Apple ID. Press tab to reach the user name and type that in. In my case it might be some-em...@gmail.com. Next press tab and you will reach the password entry. You can type the password you already use, or you can press tab to the button which Window-Eyes just reads as button and press space on it. This is the random password generator button. KeePass is very good about the random passwords it generates for you. Obviously you only want to use this when creating a new account on a web site, or if you are changing an existing account's password. In any case, after the password edit box and random button, pressing tab again takes you to the confirmation edit box. Either manually type your existing password in again, or just skip it if you used the random generator since it will already be in there. Now tab to get to the url edit box. Type in the url, example. http://appleid.apple.com and then press tab. This will take you
