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My biggest challenge as I’m getting older is remembering my long secret key. Even with a password manager that requires me to remember only a few passphrases (

My biggest challenge as I’m getting older is remembering my long secret key. Even with a password manager that requires me to remember only a few passphrases (personal and work being two), there is a non zero chance now that a fall and a concussion would lock me out of my password manager. Anyone else have a solution or a suggestion for this problem?

SSNLF 3y ago
You could try Entropy Keycrypt -> https://entropykey.com/features https://entropykey.com/features
sirsuki 3y ago
Yes. Place the secrets in a secured (symmetric encrypted) document. Then print the password for that document and hand it to a loved one, trusted family member/friend, or lawyer.
charcircuit 3y ago
Write it down on a piece of paper.
Vecr 3y ago
Wear a helmet and hip pads, but failing that split the password in half (as in literally the first half and the second half, don't try to get fancy with crypto) and give the halves to two people unlikely to collude. Your computer will no longer have 5th amendment protection, though.
- kilmanio 3y ago
  Or better, use `Shamir's Secret Sharing` https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_secret_sharing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_secret_sharing
  - couchand 3y ago
    GP specifically called out, "don't try to get fancy with crypto" and I'm inclined to agree with them for this use case.
a_imho 3y ago
Biometrics?
Loic 3y ago
My wife has my passphrases in her password manager and I have her passphrase in my password manager. This is maybe not the most secure way to do it, but this is good enough for our threat model. These are offline password managers.
JackSlateur 3y ago
Use the good old post-it method Remember poe : what's hidden in plain sight is never found (and nobody is looking anyway)
pclmulqdq 3y ago
Shamir's secret sharing with 3 separate lawyers is kind of hard to beat if you have cryptocurrency or other similar assets that absolutely need a password to recover it, and it is a relatively easy algorithm to run. Give them the same instruction sheet on how to run the algorithm, plus a different second page with their fragment of the key. Most of the time, though, the "call us" approach actually works, and you can give your relatives power of attorney to handle this.

SSNLF 3y ago

You could try Entropy Keycrypt -> https://entropykey.com/features https://entropykey.com/features

sirsuki 3y ago

Yes. Place the secrets in a secured (symmetric encrypted) document. Then print the password for that document and hand it to a loved one, trusted family member/friend, or lawyer.

charcircuit 3y ago

Write it down on a piece of paper.

Vecr 3y ago

Wear a helmet and hip pads, but failing that split the password in half (as in literally the first half and the second half, don't try to get fancy with crypto) and give the halves to two people unlikely to collude. Your computer will no longer have 5th amendment protection, though.

kilmanio 3y ago
Or better, use `Shamir's Secret Sharing` https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_secret_sharing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_secret_sharing
- couchand 3y ago
  GP specifically called out, "don't try to get fancy with crypto" and I'm inclined to agree with them for this use case.

a_imho 3y ago

Biometrics?

Loic 3y ago

My wife has my passphrases in her password manager and I have her passphrase in my password manager. This is maybe not the most secure way to do it, but this is good enough for our threat model. These are offline password managers.

JackSlateur 3y ago

Use the good old post-it method Remember poe : what's hidden in plain sight is never found (and nobody is looking anyway)

pclmulqdq 3y ago

Shamir's secret sharing with 3 separate lawyers is kind of hard to beat if you have cryptocurrency or other similar assets that absolutely need a password to recover it, and it is a relatively easy algorithm to run. Give them the same instruction sheet on how to run the algorithm, plus a different second page with their fragment of the key. Most of the time, though, the "call us" approach actually works, and you can give your relatives power of attorney to handle this.