Re: Is Keychain or any other program safe for storing sensitive data on a desktop Mac?

From	Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com>
Newsgroups	comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject	Re: Is Keychain or any other program safe for storing sensitive data on a desktop Mac?
Date	2018-11-16 14:11 +1300
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<psl5fp$1ro8$1@gioia.aioe.org> (permalink)
References	<ps2re1$af$1@gioia.aioe.org> <2018111513072846162-tomevans9890@yahoo.ca>
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On 2018-11-15 21:07:28 +0000, Tom Evans said:
> On 2018-11-15 05:30:18 +0000, Your Name said:
>> On 2018-11-10 01:09:45 +0000, Your Name said:
>>> On 2018-11-09 19:03:43 +0000, Tom Evans said:
>>>> 
>>>> What passcode management programs do you recommend?
>>>> 
>>>> I checked Keychain, but it seems like it would be hard to find the 
>>>> company information I want to look for there.
>>>> 
>>>> I want to have a list of companies that I deal with, shown in 
>>>> alphabetical order (such as Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Costco, etcetera), 
>>>> with each company's information in one place under the company's name 
>>>> heading in bold type, but instead  Keychain has one folder for 
>>>> passcodes, and another folder for Secure Notes, so I'd have to have 
>>>> each company's passcodes and notes into separate folders, and then 
>>>> scroll through those two folders to see each company's passcodes and 
>>>> notes.
>>>> 
>>>> Also, Keychain (in the login folder) shows a long list of odd names 
>>>> such as "com.apple.cloudd.deviceidentifier.production".  It feels like 
>>>> I'm in Terminal.
>>> 
>>> Keychain utility isn't really for looking up passwords. The passwords 
>>> are used automatically in apps like Safari. Keychain utility is for 
>>> deleting entries.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Of the proper password manager apps, 1Password is probably the best, 
>>> but with their latest version they've changed to a silly monthly 
>>> subscription pricing.
>>> https://1password.com
>>> 
>>> Other popular alternatives, according to Macworld, are:
>>> 
>>> - Dashlane (free for one device)
>>> https://www.dashlane.com
>>> 
>>> - LastPass (free)
>>> https://www.lastpass.com
>>> 
>>> - Keeper(free)
>>> https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keeper-password-manager/id414781829
>>> 
>>> - EnPass (free)
>>> https://www.enpass.io
>>> 
>>> <https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/best-passwords-managers-for-mac-3672527/> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The free ones do have a more powerful version and/or multi-device / 
>>> cloud syncing options you have to pay for as well, but the free version 
>>> might be enough for your needs.
>> 
>> Apparently Dashlane is so easy to use that even the mother of the Cult 
>> of Mac blogger can use it. This is from today's junk emails ...
>> 
>> A password manager so easy, my mom uses it
>> ------------------------------------------
>> My mom loves her Apple technology. She's a full-fledged member
>> of the Cult, with an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac and Apple TV.
>> She uses them all the time, to do everything. But she always
>> had trouble with passwords - at least until I introduced her
>> to Dashlane, the official password manager of Cult of Mac.
>> 
>> In our video below, you can see exactly how easy it was for
>> her to start using Dashlane (and give up the little book she
>> formerly used to keep track of her passwords).
>> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnRq8xfJ-_c>
>> 
>> You (or your mom) can download a free copy of Dashlane and
>> take control of your passwords on one device. The premium
>> version, which costs $4.99 per month, lets you sync passwords
>> and credit card details across devices. Premium users also
>> can take advantage of Dashlane's new VPN and Dark Web
>> Monitoring service for even more security.
> 
> Thanks, Your.
> 
> A problem with Dashlane is that I can't use my existing passcodes.  The 
> passcodes are randomly generated by Dashlane so there's no way I could 
> remember any of them

You can use your own passwords, but Dashland and 1Password *also* have 
the ability to generate random passwords for you. Since you're using a 
password manager, there's no need to remember any of them all - you 
only need to remeber two passwords: teh one to log on to the computer 
and the one for the password manager (they could even be the same, but 
best not to be).



> and I'd have to change all of my existing passcodes that I've already 
> established with many companies and other organizations over the years.

Seeing as you think one of your passwords has been hacked and you don't 
know which one, you're going to have to change them all anyway.



> Also, I don't want to be so dependent on one company's software to 
> remember all of my sensitive data, in case something were to go wrong 
> and the company's software lost my data.

With the exception of a plain text file or handwriting in a notebook, 
you're *always* going to be "dependent on one company's software to 
remember all of my sensitive data".
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