Password Management

You know what I use? Firefox’s password master utility, on my personal computer of course. And I NEVER store any password related to bank, credit card, PayPal.

Another trick I use is just a portable USB drive with portable Firefox installed, again with the master password feature. The master password is changed frequently, and all pop-ups are disabled. I also run an antivirus, ClamWim Portable, straight of the USB, whenever I use the USB drive. No way do I want a virus to load while I’m browsing.

Just learn to use usernames and passwords properly. For instance, I organize my usernames based on tiers of importance. The most important tier, the $$$ section, has just 1-3 usernames and the toughest passwords. Lesser tiers, such as the newspapers and sites I read on the net, have 1-2 usernames and maybe 1-2 passwords, because I’m not as worried about those.

What I am worried is any “roboform” application that fills everything for you.

Other PAssword Managment Alternatives
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OpenID is an identity system that allows you to have one username and one password for multiple sites. Your username is an URL. The password is whatever you choose (and like all paswords you should keep it secret). There are several different configurations that you can use to have an OpenID

• You can use an OpenID service provider and use the provided URL on their domain (e.g. yourname.vox.com)
• You can run your own OpenID server on your own server with your own domain (e.g. yourname.com)
• You can use a hosted OpenID service with your own domain (e.g. yourname.com). Learn how for your site or blog .)

what’s the best way to manage your user ID’s and passwords online? Of course you can just store passwords in your browser, use the same user name when it’s available so it’s easy to remember, and cross your fingers that it will all stay safe. Or you could try some of the password management tools like PasswordSafe, PassVault Password Manager, or RoboForm.

On the Mac OS X side, 1Passwd is a great choice and is very similar to RoboForm on the PC side.