Password Manager: KeePass

KeePass is a free, open-source, light-weight and easy-to-use password manager.

Today you need to remember many passwords. You need a password for the Windows network logon, your e-mail account, your homepage's ftp password, online passwords, etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. Also, you should use different passwords for each account. Because if you use only one password everywhere and someone gets this password you have a problem... A serious problem. The thief would have access to your e-mail account, homepage, etc. Unimaginable.

KeePass is a free/open-source password manager or safe which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk. So you only have to remember one single master password or insert the key-disk to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).

Why do I recommend this?

I have used a password manager for over 5 years and consider it one of my most crituical tools. I keep not only internet passwords in it, but also things like my family's important numbers (Social Security, bank pins, etc), registration codes for registered software, and anything important that I should neither lose or just leave lie around in a text file.

I have tried other tools which attempt to "auto-login" for you, but I am not so comfortable with such tools. What if they send my password off to the wrong, insecure fields? What if the website changes its format? I prefer the manual cut-n-paste method employed by KeePass. I select the website and account I want to use. I press Ctrl+U to launch the web browser with this URL. I press Ctrl+B to copy the user name to the clipboard, and Ctrl+V to paste this into the correct username field at the web site. I press Ctrl+C to copy the password to the clipboard, and Ctrl+V to paste this into the correct password field at the web site. If you think this is too much work - look for another tool. However, considering I visit such websites only a few times a day and considering what is at stake, this is work I don't mind doing.

Details