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uh no - a password manager is an open source application you can compile and install yourself if you want. Its nothing more than a small specialised database w

uh no - a password manager is an open source application you can compile and install yourself if you want. Its nothing more than a small specialised database with a excel like interface. Personally I think that the argument that things are "too complicated for the average user" eventually gets gets you users that find breathing and sphincter function too complicated.

Hackbraten 1y ago
I’ve been observing this space for two decades and haven’t come across a single open-source password manager that actually works, is properly maintained, has an acceptable security track record, and comes with a similarly well-maintained browser extension that protects both my clipboard and myself from phishing.
- rpdillon 1y ago
  I've been using Keepass for two decades and have never had a single issue. I would never recommend a browser plug in (too much attack surface area), and instead simply check the URL before having KeePass autotype. No clipboard. I think you're rejecting good solutions out of hand. Meanwhile...millions of users trusted LastPass. Twice.
  - Hackbraten 1y ago
    > simply check the URL before having KeePass autotype. I’m not going to rely on myself never making a mistake. I want a solution that protects me even during stressful moments where I have a lapse of judgement and forget to check.
    - simoncion 1y ago
      If you're not using KeepassXC's browser plugin (or are using KeePassX, which -IIRC- never had a browser plugin), then its autotype feature will check the title of the window that has keyboard focus when deciding which entry to use. If one or more matches are found, it will [1] also ask you to confirm which entry you're about to have the software punch in. If no matches are found, it will alert you to that fact. You might find the KeePassXC docs about the feature [0] to be informative. If you're going to complain that all a phisher has to do to capture a password is create a website with the same title as the official one, then my reply would be something like "Duh. That's what the browser plugin is for.". [0] <https://keepassxc.org/docs/KeePassXC_UserGuide#_auto_type https://keepassxc.org/docs/KeePassXC_UserGuide#_auto_type> [1] ...optionally, and on by default...
      - Hackbraten 1y ago
        Not sure how you got the impression that I was unwilling to use a browser plugin. I’m absolutely looking for a browser plugin. I would refuse to use an auto-type feature that only checks the window title instead of, as a browser plugin would do, the site’s domain.
        simoncion 1y ago
        I'm not sure how you got the impression that I had the impression that you're unwilling to use a browser plugin. I have absolutely no idea whether or not you're willing to use a browser plugin. I was mentioning how auto-type worked because it's useful information for those who either are unwilling to use a browser plugin, or are like myself and simply have no need for one.
    - rpdillon 1y ago
      I don't think fixing this at the browser-level is the right place. In general, I'm very vigilant, but I know I can be tricked. So I have a policy about not clicking links in emails from companies I already know the address for. I also aggressively right click / long tap links to examine the URL before opening. In general, opening a malicious URL exposes the user to unnecessary risk, so the correct solution is not to assume the user has visited a malicious site (since that would already be high-risk), but rather to prevent opening of malicious URLs. The most obvious solution is to treat any untrusted content as questionable. So I very carefully examine every domain I visit - as I say to my kids: have a model about who owns the computer you're talking to. Domains matter. Now, this works for me. I'm not cognitively impaired, I have high conscientiousness, probably from working in military and classified defense contexts way back when, but I'm not really sure to be honest, could just be my personality. But it works for me. I get that you want that extra safeguard, but it's just not a dealbreaker for me, especially since I'm highly suspicious of browser add-ons and the security implications they bring in. I guess I'm just extremely selective about what add-ons I'll use.
- simoncion 1y ago
  rpdililon mentioned KeePass. What have you (that is, Hackbraten) found wrong with the KeePassXC offshoot of it? /me wonders if this is a "recommend me a nice open source, offline password manager" question in disguise.
  - Hackbraten 1y ago
    I don’t remember why KeePassXC didn’t make my list last time I checked. That was years ago, so I’m going to check it out again. Thanks for the pointer. Update: One thing that stands out immediately is a confusing mess of three different projects, two of them unmaintained, which all call themselves KeePassX or KeePassXC, sometimes linking to each other’s documentation. How do I even tell I’m facing the correct KeePass(X(C)?)? project? Yes, I’ll figure it out eventually but until then, it’s confusing. Also, if a password manager project needs to be forked over and over and over again (how can a holder of the keys to the kingdom possibly go MIA on three different occasions in basically the same project?), then does that tell us something about how the project is governed?
    - simoncion 1y ago
      > How do I even tell I’m facing the correct KeePass(X(C)?)? project? Well, [0] lists a single project called KeePassXC, with [1] as its homepage. Search engines list [1] and [2] as the top results for the query KeePassXC, for whatever that's worth. [3] > Also, if a password manager project needs to be forked over and over and over again ... then does that tell us something about how the project is governed? No? KeePass is Windows-only software. So, some folks decided to write KeePassX, which ran on Linux, OSX, and Windows. They got bored of that after a decade or so, called it quits, and one of the preexisting forks [4] became the widely-used one. > how can a holder of the keys to the kingdom possibly go MIA on three different occasions in basically the same project? In addition to the history I wrote above, you are aware that KeePass is still receiving stable releases? According to [5], it looks like 2.59 was released just last month. EDIT: Actually, where are you getting this "confusing mess of three different projects" from? When I search for "keepass", I get the official home pages for KeePass and KeePassXC as the top two results, the Wikipedia page, and then the Keepass project's SourceForge downloads page. When I search for "keepassx", I get the official homepages for KeePassX and KeePassXC, the wikipedia page, the KeePassXC Github repo, and an unofficial SourceForge project page for KeePassX. [0] <https://keepass.info/download.html https://keepass.info/download.html> [1] <https://keepassxc.org/ https://keepassxc.org/> [2] <https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc/releases https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc/releases> [3] And -because I'm a Linux user- not only do I have KeePassXC in my package manager, I also know that [1] is listed as its project homepage. [4] ...which started like four years before KeePassX's final stable release... [5] <https://sourceforge.net/projects/keepass/files/KeePass%202.x/ https://sourceforge.net/projects/keepass/files/KeePass%202.x...>
- odo1242 1y ago
  What about Bitwarden?
- mangodrunk 1y ago
  It’s annoying how people are gaslighting you into thinking this is a solved problem. As if password managers don’t have issues themselves and even if they did solve that aspect, it’s only a part of the whole problem.

Hackbraten 1y ago

I’ve been observing this space for two decades and haven’t come across a single open-source password manager that actually works, is properly maintained, has an acceptable security track record, and comes with a similarly well-maintained browser extension that protects both my clipboard and myself from phishing.

rpdillon 1y ago
I've been using Keepass for two decades and have never had a single issue. I would never recommend a browser plug in (too much attack surface area), and instead simply check the URL before having KeePass autotype. No clipboard. I think you're rejecting good solutions out of hand. Meanwhile...millions of users trusted LastPass. Twice.
- Hackbraten 1y ago
  > simply check the URL before having KeePass autotype. I’m not going to rely on myself never making a mistake. I want a solution that protects me even during stressful moments where I have a lapse of judgement and forget to check.
  - simoncion 1y ago
    If you're not using KeepassXC's browser plugin (or are using KeePassX, which -IIRC- never had a browser plugin), then its autotype feature will check the title of the window that has keyboard focus when deciding which entry to use. If one or more matches are found, it will [1] also ask you to confirm which entry you're about to have the software punch in. If no matches are found, it will alert you to that fact. You might find the KeePassXC docs about the feature [0] to be informative. If you're going to complain that all a phisher has to do to capture a password is create a website with the same title as the official one, then my reply would be something like "Duh. That's what the browser plugin is for.". [0] <https://keepassxc.org/docs/KeePassXC_UserGuide#_auto_type https://keepassxc.org/docs/KeePassXC_UserGuide#_auto_type> [1] ...optionally, and on by default...
    - Hackbraten 1y ago
      Not sure how you got the impression that I was unwilling to use a browser plugin. I’m absolutely looking for a browser plugin. I would refuse to use an auto-type feature that only checks the window title instead of, as a browser plugin would do, the site’s domain.
      - simoncion 1y ago
        I'm not sure how you got the impression that I had the impression that you're unwilling to use a browser plugin. I have absolutely no idea whether or not you're willing to use a browser plugin. I was mentioning how auto-type worked because it's useful information for those who either are unwilling to use a browser plugin, or are like myself and simply have no need for one.
  - rpdillon 1y ago
    I don't think fixing this at the browser-level is the right place. In general, I'm very vigilant, but I know I can be tricked. So I have a policy about not clicking links in emails from companies I already know the address for. I also aggressively right click / long tap links to examine the URL before opening. In general, opening a malicious URL exposes the user to unnecessary risk, so the correct solution is not to assume the user has visited a malicious site (since that would already be high-risk), but rather to prevent opening of malicious URLs. The most obvious solution is to treat any untrusted content as questionable. So I very carefully examine every domain I visit - as I say to my kids: have a model about who owns the computer you're talking to. Domains matter. Now, this works for me. I'm not cognitively impaired, I have high conscientiousness, probably from working in military and classified defense contexts way back when, but I'm not really sure to be honest, could just be my personality. But it works for me. I get that you want that extra safeguard, but it's just not a dealbreaker for me, especially since I'm highly suspicious of browser add-ons and the security implications they bring in. I guess I'm just extremely selective about what add-ons I'll use.
simoncion 1y ago
rpdililon mentioned KeePass. What have you (that is, Hackbraten) found wrong with the KeePassXC offshoot of it? /me wonders if this is a "recommend me a nice open source, offline password manager" question in disguise.
- Hackbraten 1y ago
  I don’t remember why KeePassXC didn’t make my list last time I checked. That was years ago, so I’m going to check it out again. Thanks for the pointer. Update: One thing that stands out immediately is a confusing mess of three different projects, two of them unmaintained, which all call themselves KeePassX or KeePassXC, sometimes linking to each other’s documentation. How do I even tell I’m facing the correct KeePass(X(C)?)? project? Yes, I’ll figure it out eventually but until then, it’s confusing. Also, if a password manager project needs to be forked over and over and over again (how can a holder of the keys to the kingdom possibly go MIA on three different occasions in basically the same project?), then does that tell us something about how the project is governed?
  - simoncion 1y ago
    > How do I even tell I’m facing the correct KeePass(X(C)?)? project? Well, [0] lists a single project called KeePassXC, with [1] as its homepage. Search engines list [1] and [2] as the top results for the query KeePassXC, for whatever that's worth. [3] > Also, if a password manager project needs to be forked over and over and over again ... then does that tell us something about how the project is governed? No? KeePass is Windows-only software. So, some folks decided to write KeePassX, which ran on Linux, OSX, and Windows. They got bored of that after a decade or so, called it quits, and one of the preexisting forks [4] became the widely-used one. > how can a holder of the keys to the kingdom possibly go MIA on three different occasions in basically the same project? In addition to the history I wrote above, you are aware that KeePass is still receiving stable releases? According to [5], it looks like 2.59 was released just last month. EDIT: Actually, where are you getting this "confusing mess of three different projects" from? When I search for "keepass", I get the official home pages for KeePass and KeePassXC as the top two results, the Wikipedia page, and then the Keepass project's SourceForge downloads page. When I search for "keepassx", I get the official homepages for KeePassX and KeePassXC, the wikipedia page, the KeePassXC Github repo, and an unofficial SourceForge project page for KeePassX. [0] <https://keepass.info/download.html https://keepass.info/download.html> [1] <https://keepassxc.org/ https://keepassxc.org/> [2] <https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc/releases https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc/releases> [3] And -because I'm a Linux user- not only do I have KeePassXC in my package manager, I also know that [1] is listed as its project homepage. [4] ...which started like four years before KeePassX's final stable release... [5] <https://sourceforge.net/projects/keepass/files/KeePass%202.x/ https://sourceforge.net/projects/keepass/files/KeePass%202.x...>
odo1242 1y ago
What about Bitwarden?
mangodrunk 1y ago
It’s annoying how people are gaslighting you into thinking this is a solved problem. As if password managers don’t have issues themselves and even if they did solve that aspect, it’s only a part of the whole problem.