Tuesday, February 21, 2012

KeyGrinder

So you and all your clan use one password for every stupid site that doesn't matter. I know you use a better/secure/unique p4sSw0rd for your banking sites but how can you possibly remember a different password for every account you have.

KeyGrinder is a program that provides theft-resistant passwords without you having to think much about them. Using the pwdHash algorithm you enter the website URL or account name and your simple easy to remember (and type) key/password. KeyGrinder then produces a reasonably secure password based on the website/account and your simple password. Then take this generated password and use it for the website's (so each of your sites/accounts have a unique password while you remember only one key.)

You end up with each website having a unique secure password while you remain the weak link (because you always use the same simple key to generate these passwords.) In other words, this process isolates risk from website/account security compromisses but will not protect you from angry girlfriends that you once trusted.

Download KeyGrinder from the Apple App Store, for iPhone and iPad. Or use the www.KeyGrinder.com website to generate the same passwords on the fly.

There is little useful documentation on the app but I did fine this blog post on how to use KeyGrinder. If you don't checkout the PwdHash project and think it is cool then most likely you will never seriously use KeyGrinder.

Security is inversely proportional to usability.

2 comments:

Richard Pennington said...

A lot of posts regarding "Keygrinder" refer to Jay Graves "how to" instructions on Skabber. The only problem is that he tells you how it works and how to create a password, but not how to actually use it once it's posted to your website, or if your on another computer without Keygrinder on it, how to get your password at the Keygrinder website.

Richard Pennington said...

A lot of posts regarding "Keygrinder" refer to Jay Graves "how to" instructions on Skabber. The only problem is that he tells you how it works and how to create a password, but not how to actually use it once it's posted to your website, or if your on another computer without Keygrinder on it, how to get your password at the Keygrinder website. Both times I tried to create a password, the side window came up with "null" and if I had posted the created password, I'd be in real trouble the next time I tried to access the account.