Managing dozens or even hundreds of passwords can be quite a task. Especially if these passwords have to meet security requirements and you don't want to use one default password for all the websites you visit.
Long,hard-to-guess passwords for your mail, website or other items are strongly recommended.
A good password consists of at least uppercase letters (A to Z), lowercase letters (a to z) and numbers (0 to 9). Non-alpha numeric characters (e.g. &, $, #, @) cannot be used with quite a few programmes or websites.
A password of 15 to 20 characters is recommended these days. Below is an example of a good password.
Z7MuISKi3dOf7qpG4GxS
Fortunately, there are password management programmes nowadays. A good example of a reliable programme is Keepass. These programmes ensure that you have only one password for all your passwords.
The main disadvantage of such a programme is that it is normally installed on one computer. If you are on the road then you cannot access your passwords.
Fortunately, this problem can be remedied by storing the database of Keepass, for example, in cloud solution like Dropbox. By using the same Keepass database on all your devices, you will never have a file that does not yet contain new passwords or multiple password files.
Another advantage is that a service like Dropbox automatically backs up files, including your database. You can always retrieve a previous version.
Installing Dropbox
To access the database from anywhere, we have a cloud service like Dropbox needed. This could, of course, include a service such as Onedrive.
Dropbox requires you to register first. The basic version with 2GB is free.
You can then easily install Dropbox on your PC. You can access Dropbox either from the Dropbox website or from the dedicated Dropbox folder on your PC. Any file dragged to the Dropbox folder can be accessed on the Dropbox website or on your devices that also have Dropbox on them.
Installing Keepass
Here you can download Keepass for Windows, Android, iPhone, iPad etc., among others.
We start by installing Keepass on the PC. Download Keepass Professional Edition and start the installation with: rhowever mouse button > Run as administrator > Yes > Select Dutch > Next > Next > Install > Finish. The programme now opens as below.
Then press file > new. Now name the database, navigate to the Dropbox folder on the computer and press save. The following screen opens:
Enter a strong password. This password is used to protect all your passwords.
The database is now in Dropbox. Any changes we make will be changed to the database in Dropbox.
In addition, tick the option for a keyfile and press create. This key file is needed to open the database.
Save the file to Dropbox. This saving of this file in Dropbox is temporary. After Keepass and Dropbox are on all your devices, you should only delete the keyfile from Dropbox.
You can enter any characters you like for encryption.
On any device, PC, phone or tablet, you install so Keepass and Dropbox. With Dropbox, you log in to any device with your credentials from Dropbox.com.
From Dropbox, copy the keyfile to your device. Next, click the database file in Dropbox. Keepass will open and you can access keyfile navigate to the location of the keyfile on your device.
Key issues:
- Sync: Sync files on the server at Dropbox. For example, if you modify a password on your phone, it does need to sync with the file on the server after it is saved. This is automatic, but must be done before you can open the modified file on another device. Especially with phones and tablets, this is an important point because people often only sync using Wifi.
- Opening the latest version of the database file requires an internet connection.
- After installation, remove the keyfile from your Dropbox. After clicking on the file then press remove. Then go to the recycle bin, find the file and press permanent removal. Without the keyfile, the database cannot be opened even with the correct password.
- Back up your database file once a week or after important changes. Keep it in a safe place.
- Keep a copy of your keyfile in a safe place outside Dropbox.
If you have any questions following the above, please contact us at info@milcraft.nl, us contact form or Facebook.