Sunday, January 9, 2022 – Two great alternatives to dangerous password managers – Turning off Facebook’s voting reminders

I have written several blog posts detailing the dangers of using a password manager, and every time one of those posts went live I received several messages from folks wanting to know how they can safely store their passwords.

There are actually two very good options for “storing” passwords that don’t involve the use of a password manager:

1 – Simply remember them.

Yes, I realize you probably have dozens of passwords to remember, but the method I explain in this post makes it easy to create dozens of passwords that are both strong and unique, yet still easy to remember.

2 – Store them on an encrypted USB flash drive.

First, get yourself an inexpensive encrypted USB flash drive similar to the one I use.

Next, choose one strong master password for accessing the contents of the encrypted drive, then put all of your passwords into a text file and save it into the encrypted folder on that drive.

When you need to retrieve a password, simply plug in the flash drive and enter the master password, then open the file containing your passwords and “copy” the password you need to the Clipboard.

Then return to the login screen for the website or service you’re trying to log in to and paste the copied password into the Password field.

You can then remove the encrypted flash drive from the machine and place it somewhere for safe-keeping.

Important: I recommend that you also keep a second (backup) encrypted drive containing your passwords in a fireproof and waterproof lock box just in case something happens to the drive you use on a regular basis.

The beauty of this method is you only have to remember one master password (the one for accessing the encrypted drive itself). You can then retrieve the passwords you need from the text file as required.

You won’t have to worry about hackers accessing your stored passwords because you only use the drive for a few seconds at a time (to retrieve a password you need), and then physically disconnect it from the computer.

Of course you should safeguard your password drive as best you can, but if you lose it all will be fine since the contents of the drive are encrypted and password-protected. If someone finds it they won’t be able to access your passwords because they won’t know the master password.

Simply retrieve the backup drive from your lock box and use it to make a new encrypted password drive, then return the backup drive to the lock box for safe-keeping.

Conclusion: Both of the above methods are simple, and about as safe and secure as “storing” a list of passwords can possibly be.

Why? Because…

1 – You maintain physical possession of the drive.

2 – The drive is never connected to the Internet and it’s only connected to your computer for a few seconds at a time.

3 – If you lose the drive the contents are protected by encryption and a strong password.

Do you have precious photos and/or other irreplaceable files that you’d like to recover from a non-working computer?

Chances are I’ll be able to recover them for you, even if the machine won’t turn on or start up correctly.

Click here for more info.