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Do I have to have a paper Emergency Kit? Isn't that less secure?

This discussion was created from comments split from: Emergency kit compromised.

Comments

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member

    @rlbrooks - another question over here - if don't get a license, do I avoid the Emergency Kit? I have always avoided having a piece of paper with passwords, and this sounds likes it will be the equivalent of having ALL your passwords written down. And I'm planning to do a LOT of traveling abroad for work, so I won't have access to my Emergency Kit.

  • danco
    danco
    Volunteer Moderator

    While the Emergency Kit has a space for you to enter the Master Password, there's no need for you to do so. The Secret Key is impossible to remember and needs to be recorded some place and possibly carried with you when travelling. But a good master password is memorable but complex and only needs to be written down to cover death, unconsciousness, dementia and the like, not when travelling.

  • Ben
    Ben
    edited October 2019

    Hi @jmassengale

    Since the original thread was about someone having lost their Emergency Kit, and your question is different, I've gone ahead and split your comments into a new thread. That way we can give both you and the other thread starter the attention that you deserve.

    The Emergency Kit is only as useful of a tool and as powerful as you make it. There is nothing saying you have to print it. If you do print it, there is nothing saying you have to write your Master Password on it.

    The general recommendation I have for folks is:

    • Have a copy with you while traveling that does NOT have your Master Password written on it. Memorize your Master Password. If you'd prefer, just write your Secret Key written out with no other details somewhere. That way there is even less suggestion what that information is for if someone happens to find it. Maybe write it on other important travel documents like your itinerary so that it just looks like another confirmation number or something.
    • If you'd like your family, or someone, to be able to access your data in a situation like the ones @danco described above, print a copy and DO fill in the Master Password. Store this complete copy someplace like a fire safe or bank deposit box. Alternatively, write your Master Password on something that does not contain your Secret Key, print a copy of the Emergency Kit and don't write in the Master Password, and store them separately (e.g. with two different family members).

    You certainly have the choice of not doing any of that, but then you have a higher risk of losing access to your 1Password data, especially in the event your device(s) are lost/stolen/damaged. There is a balance, and you need to evaluate your unique situation and determine what strikes the right balance for you. The above is just general recommendations. For some people it may make sense to have even more copies of their Emergency Kit available, particularly if they are prone to forgetting their Master Password. For others, it may be better to not have any printed copies and only keep a digital copy that doesn't have the Master Password written in.

    An often overlooked aspect of information security is information availability. If you can't access your data when you need to then it is all for nothing.

    I hope that helps!

    Ben

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member

    Thank you, Ben. You also gave good advice in a thread I can't find now, so I am bringing up my new problem here.

    You may remember that I had a problem with 1Password changing my email. Since then the problem has gotten worse, and I've been without 1Password on my office Mac for several days.

    I'm hoping I can fix the problem by simply deleting 1Password and reinstalling. I'll explain.

    When I came to the email problem, I stopped registration before choosing a plan. At the end of the day, I turned off my office computer, without closing the 1Password windows. When I came back the next day, 1Password 6 was gone, and 1Password 7 was installed. I don't remember changing my password, but my old password didn't work. In other words, 1Password was unusable on my office Mac.

    I wrote to support@1Password.com. Twenty-four hours later, I haven't had a response yet.

    However, I still have 1Password 6 on my home MacAir, my iPhone, and I presume on my iPad. I have confirmed that I can sign in on my MacAir and my iPhone, which has Touch ID. Can I simply delete 1Password 7 on my office Mac and reinstall with the old email address?

    As I said, I never finished choosing a new plan, and I have checked to make sure that there was no charge to my credit card.

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member

    By the way, one of the things I liked about the old Mac version, was that I didn't need a Secret Key.

    Does the new license plan require a Secret Key?

  • plttn
    plttn
    Community Member

    Not an employee of 1Password: Secret Keys are only for 1PW memberships, not the one time licensing model.

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member

    thanks

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @jmassengale: You won't be charged for a 1Password membership subscription unless you signed up for one and setup payment for it.

    Without the membership, you won't have an account at all, and you'd need to just install the version of 1Password you purchased and register it with your license.

    Since it sounds like you have specific questions about billing and how you've set things up on your devices, I'll close this and reply to you via email shortly so we can continue the conversation there instead. Trying to do this in multiple places just slows down response times for everyone, including you.

    ref: WVV-12775-579

This discussion has been closed.