| by Michael Hrishenko |
| Manager, Reporting & Customer Support Services |
Do you have too many passwords to remember? In the 'Information Age', many of us do. Technology support personnel at YSU have been and continue to work on the problem by instituting an electronic directory of resources and services. This may one day lead to a single account and password for many different systems! But it will take time and resources to modify or acquire systems that utilize this Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and bring about this change. What can you do in the meantime? The Microsoft Windows operating systems (e.g., Windows 98, 2000, XP) recognize this problem and help by remembering passwords for you if you check the appropriate box in certain applications. Unfortunately, there is no easy way for you to 'see' or retrieve the password if you need to know it in cases such as program modification, reinstallation, etc. The Macintosh operating system also provides a similar password assistant which remembers passwords and opens programs automatically for you and even permits you to view the saved password. Unfortunately, this is a Mac only solution and is not geared to frequent password changes as are sometimes required in a dual personal/mainframe computing environment.
So, what to do? Well for both Windows and Macintosh platforms, shareware software is available to help you remember your accounts and passwords (and in a manner that can be more secure than constantly referencing them on paper). We'll take a look at a couple of example programs (first PasswordWallet for
Macintosh and then Password Keychain 1.0 for Windows). These programs, as well as others of similar functionality, have similarities in the way that they work.
| Most of the programs of this type, once installed, start by asking for a password. Fortunately this will be the only password you will be required to remember. It will be used as the secure means to view all of your other passwords. |
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Upon successful password entry, a window listing your defined accounts will appear. (If the product is shareware and you have not yet purchased the product, an intervening window will probably appear requesting that you purchase the software you are using. If you do use shareware, your payment will keep valuable software programs such as those we are discussing and other choices.)
An example of the accounts list for the PasswordWallet program for Macintosh is displayed at right.
Note that in this software and in most similar packages, the account must be selected before the account information will appear.
The window below illustrates the same window but with two accounts selected.
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Notice how the account information is still not yet visible but rather covered by dots. In various password helper products, the passwords are usually visible only after a specific action has been taken even if the account is selected. Remember also that the account list only became available after initial entry of the 'one' password you must remember.
Below is an example window for entry of new account/password information.
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As you can see, the above product is essentially a secured 'container' for holding and viewing encrypted password information. More information about PasswordWallet can be obtained at Selznick Scientific Software, LLC on the web.
The following illustrations are of a comparable password storage product for Windows called Password Keychain 1.0.
 | This is the 'master password' window in which you enter the 'one' password that you must remember. |
 | The resulting account lists window. |
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The information that results when you highlight an account and click 'view'. |
 | An example of the new account/password entry window. |
More information about Password Keychain 1.0 (for Windows) is available at www.nfxtech.com. Other products similar to those described above are available for download from various software download sites such as www.cnet.com, www.tucows.com, and others.
Some of you may be wondering what happens if you forget the 'one' password used to access the password storage programs. Well you won't be able to view your password but the passwords will of course still work for the accounts they control. If however, you forget the master access password and your other passwords too...you may have a lot of passwords to change.
A few last but important notes. Programs such as those discussed ease the burden of remembering multiple passwords. However, their security features can be defeated - electronically given enough computing time and horsepower but much more likely by inadvertently leaving a password screen viewable, printing the passwords and not securing the printout, etc. Also the protection offered by the master password is only as good as the master password - which is not much if it is easily guessed (see the 'Password Perspectives' article in this same eNews letter). Additionally, while shareware or freeware, these and similar programs deal with encryption algorithms and are subject to export restrictions. Remember too, that good shareware provides convenient trial use of software and expanded software choices based upon the understanding that it be purchased if it is to be used. Finally, machines fail. Make sure you backup your data and store it in a safe and secure location.
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For help pertaining to this article or other computer technology at YSU, contact the YSU Help Desk |
 | The YSU Help Desk. Staffed to assist you Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone: 330.941.1595 E-mail: helpdesk@cc.ysu.edu |
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