password manager

About

A password manager (PM) is a software application which manages security credentials such as passwords, PINs, and private keys.

Desirable features include:

• searchability
• ability to secure all data with a master password or key
• ability to access from multiple locations
• encrypted storage of data (so that it can be backed up to an insecure location without revealing any credentials)

Linux

Linux distributions generally come with a password manager integrated into the desktop system (other applications needing credentials will check with the PM before asking the user to enter credentials manually, and will store manually-entered credentials in the PM for future use.

The most common PMs are:

• KWallet (part of KDE)
• Seahorse (part of Gnome)

Windows

Windows does not appear to have a system for handling passwords or mediating access to a PM, so passwords must generally be copied by hand between applications and the PM.

Links

Reference

• Wikipedia
• open directory (includes password tools that are not managers)

List

{{#ask: is a::password manager}}

not filed

• FastPass Enterprise Password Manager: geared toward higher-end customers
• IntelliLogin: does not seem to allow storage of arbitrary information; handles login forms only (how do they handle logins that the software can't detect?)
• Just1Key: online service only, details sparse unless you want to read the whitepaper