passwords

UsableLogin lets you use one password for all sites

SAN DIEGO--The password problem may finally be solved!

Usable Security Systems announced here at DemoFall on Monday a new service that will let people use one password on any site on the Web.

Basically, you will only have to remember one codeword for all the sites you log into, once the UsableLogin service launches in early 2009, says Rachna Dhamija, CEO and founder of Usable Security Systems.

The authentication service strengthens the codeword you choose by cryptographically combining it with additional random bits of data. The additional data is different for each site accessed and is dispersed on your PC … Read more

The Real Deal 125: Passwords

Rafe and Tom discuss what makes a secure password and how to manage passwords securely.

Listen now: Download today's podcast… Read more

Oops! iPhone app publisher waits on Apple to fix big mistake

Today I had one of those what-the-heck software moments that occurs when a program breaks where it's least expected. A premier feature in the iPhone application I was tinkering with had vanished after a version update.

1Password for iPhone, first reviewed by my colleague Josh Lowensohn, is better known by its Mac counterpart, which encrypts log-ons and passwords on the Mac and automatically fills them in on Web pages. Windows users can think of it as the rough equivalent to RoboForm.

Since a smooth move like that requires multiple programs to run concurrently--something presently prohibited for iPhone applications--1Password for … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 786: Do these cookies make my Google look fat?

Congress learns all about cookies (not the delicious kind...but maybe the del.icio.us kind), Gmail goes down, and Google proves to be a terrible communicator. Also, the Amazon Kindle may take off after all (har har), and Twitter baffles us completely regarding its follow/follower spam prevention thing. In sum, it's a Tuesday, but it feels like a Monday.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 786

Google apologizes for Gmail outage http://www.crn.com/software/210002714

PC World: Google Apps hit by prolonged Gmail access problem http://www.pcworld.com/article/149524/

Android may be … Read more

Atomkeep syncs profile information across multiple services

Atomkeep is a service that lets you sync, import, and merge your personal profile data across multiple services. It's trying to solve one of the many side effects of service saturation by giving people a central place to manage personal data on a pretty grand scale, like say every popular service you're using right now.

Changed your address? Don't bother logging in to each place to make the change. Instead you can edit your AtomKeep profile (which contains nearly every conceivable field) and then push it out to just the services you want, or all of them … Read more

1Password makes Web log-ins portable

iPhone and iPod Touch users have a fantastic new solution for keeping track of log-in credentials from site to site. It's called 1Password, and like the name suggests, you only need to remember one password to access and use your log-ins across hundreds and thousands of sites.

Like RoboForm (download) and other desktop password solutions, 1Password lets you save these log-ins under the protection of a single master password. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of Apple's SDK, you can't run 1Password while you're randomly browsing in Safari, meaning you won't be able to enjoy the … Read more

A real simple answer to password protection

It's a question I get asked a lot: what's a good way to remember passwords for a computer?

Here's how Christopher Horn over at Real Simple chose to answer it:

Writing down random log-in user names and passwords is unsafe and leaves them vulnerable to getting lost. Use a spreadsheet or a word-processing document to keep track of all the information safely. List the link for each website you have an account with and the specific user-name and password information that goes with that account. Click the Save As option under the File tab and name the … Read more

Facing the pain of passwords

Passwords are like the common cold: they induce headaches, no one is immune, and there is no cure in sight.

But they are necessary in this era of digital data, where everything from paying bills to passing notes to sharing photos is done online through user accounts that require some proof that you really are who you say you are. The need for passwords to be both easy to remember and difficult to guess poses what we all know as the password problem.

"This is a horrible problem," said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, who … Read more

Password helper PassPack goes offline (in a good way)

PassPack is a password-saving service I first checked out back in January of last year. This past week it released a really cool and smart password-saving tool that exists separately from your browser and lets you manage your passwords while offline. It also syncs up with PassPack's cloud storage to let you access your shared passwords, then sync them to multiple, authorized computers.

The application's claim to fame is that you can access your passwords while offline and without the use of your browser. If you don't feel like installing a new, standalone app, you can get … Read more