passwords

GooglePasswordDecryptor is a simple bit of freeware that does something potentially very useful indeed: it decrypts and retrieves the passwords, user names, and log-on data Google stores in its various apps, including the all-important master password. It fetches passwords for Google desktop apps like Picassa, Google Talk, and Gmail Notifier as well as Web browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer 4 through 8. It can also display passwords for multiple Google accounts. The zipped download includes installed and portable versions; we tried the installed version.

GooglePasswordDecryptor's interface is quite basic but not unattractive, with a gridded list view … Read more

Have you ever forgotten your password when you tried to log on to a Web site? We thought so. Like many Web browsers, Mozilla's Firefox saves your password, username, and other log-in details for every applicable Web site and stores the data in its sign-on database. FirePasswordViewer is a free tool that can decrypt, recover, and display this data. It will show a site's password on the same line as the username in Firefox's built-in Password Manager when you click Show Passwords. However, it can also display your passwords in its own interface, even when Firefox isn'… Read more

There are times when you wish or need to change the password for your account, or for another account on an OS X system. This can be because an account's password has been compromised, or because a Mac has accounts on it for which nobody knows or remembers the password, for example.

There is no way to recover lost passwords, but there are several ways to change them.

Accounts system preferences Basic account management in OS X is fairly straightforward and easy since Apple offers an Accounts system preference pane where you can add and remove accounts in addition … Read more

We can't say that we don't have a few ethical issues with FacebookPasswordDecryptor. Sure, you might need such a program because you've forgotten your own password, or maybe because you suspect that your teenager is up to no good and you want to see what secrets Facebook can reveal. You could just as easily, however, use this program to nose around in your spouse's--or even your employee's--Facebook account. We'll leave that up to you and your conscience. What we can tell you is that FacebookPasswordDecryptor does indeed work as advertised.

FacebookPasswordDecryptor works by detecting … Read more

Apple's Mail e-mail client is a fairly straightforward tool for accessing IMAP, POP, and Exchange accounts, and for the most part it works quite well, but it is not without its quirks. One of these is that at times Mail can start prompting users for their account passwords again and seem to not properly store them. When this happens the program may appear to stop interacting with the mail server for such functions as downloading new messages.

The first thing to do whenever there is a problem with Mail's connection with an e-mail server is to open the … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer e-mailed questions from our readers. This week we have questions on an "In Use" error when trying to install the Classic environment in OS X, the CNET site not working properly in Safari, and a random password request when waking from sleep. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: 'In Use' Error when installing Classic in Leopard MacFixIt reader "jje1" asks:… Read more

Online dating site eHarmony is advising some of its customers to change their passwords due to a security breach.

A hacker employed an SQL injection vulnerability in an ancillary site that eHarmony operates for content management. The hacker obtained a file that included user names, e-mail addresses, and "hashed passwords," eHarmony said. The breach--first reported today on the Krebs on Security blog--affected an informational site called eHarmony Advice, which includes message boards that require eHarmony user names and passwords to access.

The dating service's main site uses separate databases and Web servers, and "at no point … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on the OS X keychain not saving passwords, internal speakers no longer working on a MacBook Pro, an external optical drive not reading some discs, and Apple's FaceTime application not running. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: OS X Keychain not saving passwords

MacFixIt reader "Raul" asks:

My OS X Keychain does … Read more

More people are trying to tap into unsecure but easily available Wi-Fi networks around them, according to the results of a poll from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Conducted by Wakefield Research in conjunction with the Wi-Fi Alliance, the results out this week found that 32 percent of those polled admit to trying to hop onto an unsecure Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs. Some say they've done it only once while others reveal they've done it many times. That percentage compares with the 18 percent who admitted to borrowing a Wi-Fi connection according to a December 2008 poll.

Though … Read more