* Having a hard time remembering different passwords for different sites? Consider some tools that will remember for you.
A recent Boston Globe article (“Please do not change your password”) is an in-depth look, written for the average non-techie computer user, at a study recently completed by Cormac Herley, a principal researcher for Microsoft Research. The conclusion, in a nutshell, is that so-called “strong” passwords, frequently changed, do more to infuriate users than to protect them.
A recent Boston Globe article (“Please do not change your password”) is an in-depth look, written for the average non-techie computer user, at a study recently completed by Cormac Herley, a principal researcher for Microsoft Research. You could also read “Do strong web passwords accomplish anything?”, the original research paper that ultimately begat the Globe article.
The conclusion, in a nutshell, is that so-called “strong” passwords, frequently changed, do more to infuriate users than to protect them. Still, it is conceded that using different passwords for different sites and applications is a good thing to do.
I’ve always felt that way, but still got irritated at having to remember all of those passwords. So I’ve been a big user of SSO tools that store username/password credentials (encrypted, of course) and present them on your behalf during an authentication ceremony.
Most modern browsers, for example, will offer to store your passwords and deliver them up at Web sites you visit. But that only works if: 1) you always use the same browser; and 2) you only use one computer. Since I use Firefox, IE, Chrome and Opera on my desktop while also using Firefox and IE on the PC I travel with, the password vault of any one browser is not particularly useful to me.
Four years ago I got excited about Sxipper, which promised not only SSO but the ability to fill in forms using what I called “a form-filling tool that allows the first visitor to a form to map the fields and send the resulting semantic map back to the Sxipper site. Subsequent Sxipper-enabled visitors to that form will see their data automatically populated into it.”
I still use Sxipper, because it can have it’s data ported between my two computers, but it is Firefox-only, a big drawback for me (although maybe not you).
Two years ago I started using Upek’s “Protector Suite” with the eikon fingerprint reader. This stored usernames and passwords for Web sites, applications — and even Windows. It’s still attached to my computer and I still use it to log in. But although it originally worked with both IE and Firefox, a recent Firefox upgrade — without an upgrade to the Upek add-on — rendered it useless.
That meant I was using Upek for Windows and IE, and Sxipper for Firefox. Until last week, that is. That’s when I started using the Chipdrive MyKey from SCM Microsystems.
Chipdrive MyKey is a new consumer gadget that stores all of your passwords and usernames on a USB stick. A smart card chip inside protects your information with encryption and a PIN code. You can also use MyKey to lock your PC, fill online forms, store Internet addresses (e.g., “Favorites” or “Bookmarks”) and keep secure notes. Best of all, it’s completely portable (will work on any PC you can plug it in to) and works with both IE and Firefox as well as desktop applications that need authentication. It’s a great tool; I highly recommend it. And, at only $30 per each, it’s a no-brainer best buy.
