This weekend, I installed and tested 1Password by AgileBits. Very simply, this is a great tool for anyone who’s been writing down their passwords because they can’t remember them. I know a lot of people who write down their passwords and store them in plain text files and spreadsheets unencrypted. 1Password takes care of it all and you can install it on Mac, Windows, iPhones, iPad’s and Android devices.

An Opportunity to Reduce Risk at a Good Price
If you stop writing down passwords where people can discover them; that’s a positive step forward in reducing the risk. In security we are always looking for ways to reduce risk and reduce it cost-effectively whereby, the price to protect something (in this case our passwords) does not exceed the value of what we are trying to protect (bank account information, our health care information, our privacy, our credit card information, etc.). In other words, I can justify the need and cost for having a tool like 1Password. It’s only $20, and for $20 I can reduce the risk of someone gaining access to my online bank account, which could lead to financial losses and fraud.

One Small Downside
After all, this isn’t a perfect world. There’s no such thing as “one hundred percent protection”. There are always vectors (a way in) to steal something. This brings me to an IMPORTANT PIECE OF AWARENESS:

1Password requires us to know “one password” to all the other passwords we want to protect and use with 1Password. This means, we must never, ever write down or share that password. Not ever. I recommend that you come up with a long passphrase you can remember for the one master password. Here’s an example passphrase one might use. Keep in mind, this passphrase might work for me, but not for you:

Th1sOldM4nh3Pl@ys0n3!

You’ll have to create something you will remember. Make sure it’s complex but at the same time easy to remember. I know it may sound contradictory to what I’m trying to get across, but you just need remember one password/passphrase. Not 10, 20 or 30. It’s a fine balance between ease of use and security. I know you can do it!

Just watch the video and decide for yourself. Let me know what you think or let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

This is also a good tool for someone like myself who is an expert in the field of information technology and security. I used to use a password management tool called KeePass, and although KeePass was a good step in the right direction, 1Password takes it further by automating the login process. I’m switching to 1Password. And no, I’m not being paid to say that.

1Password also has a tool called ‘Knox’, which is used to encrypt our files too.