Do I •really• only need to remember one password?

kenriise

I confess - there are several passwords I remember, including:

• 1password
• App store
• dropbox

My thinking is that if I find myself in the worst case of phone and macs stolen, can I get back up and running? To do that I would need to:

• download 1password from the app stores (need app store password in absence of 1password)
• sync the fresh copy of 1password with dropbox (need dropbox password too)

Am I right in this? Anyone got a cleverer solution.

[Deleted User]

You don't need the App Store password, you can instead download the trial version of 1Password directly from Agilebits' site. Or you can use a web browser to access your data, and copy your App Store password from there.

I think it's a good idea to remember your Dropbox password, but I wouldn't rely on it. Try keeping a backup copy of your 1Password data, and make sure you don't need a password (other than your master password) to access it.

kenriise

Thanks for the reply. Thoughts:

• I'd have to rely on Agile Bits always offering a trial version of the app, which they may not do. I guess I could buy it
• If I didn't have access to my computers, chances are I wouldn't have access to a copy of my 1password file

I guess the solutions are:

• keep a backup of my 1password file with a friend
• keep a safe copy of my dropbox password with a trusted friend too
• await 1password 4 for mac to have iCloud syncing (thus removing dropbox from the process)

Anyone else have solutions for this issue?

khad

You're not alone. It can be wise to remember more than just one password. We wrote about this last year in relation to Mat Honan's "epic hack". As you mentioned, backups are an important part of this as well. An often overlooked —but crucial — part of security is data availability. Here's the complete blog post:

More than just one password: Lessons from an epic hack

Appfel

In case of emergency you can get up and running just with your Dropbox and 1Password passwords. You'll need to use Dropbox sync. Or you will try USB backup.

Ben

Personally I remember a handful of passwords: Dropbox, 1Password Master Password, Apple ID, and my Gmail. It can certainly be helpful to remember more than one, but in theory it is only necessary to remember your 1Password Master Password (because everything else would be stored in 1Password). Your mileage may vary. 1Password is a tool of both convenience and security, but in some cases it is more convenient to memorize a password than to launch 1Password every time you need it.

kenriise

Thanks. I think the answer lies in knowing a few key passwords off by heart (I agree with @bwoodruff's list).

I'll also, for safety, keep a copy of my 1password file by sending (securely) a copy to a friend every so often.