1Password

What is it?

Rather than memorizing dozens of Web site log-ins and passwords or storing them in a nonsecure method such as a sheet of paper, 1Password stores everything behind 1 master password. The application also allows you to store credit card numbers, secure notes, bank account numbers, and other personal information as an encrypted database. All of the information is synchronized across all of your mobile devices and computers.

How does it work?

To enter 1Password you must first enter a master password, which acts as a gatekeeper to all of the encrypted data you have stored within the application and is separate from the unlock code used to access your mobile device. Therefore, your data is secured behind 2 layers of encryption.

The user interface is intuitive and consists of 3 panes. The pane on the far left includes a tab for a nice Web browser created by 1Password, a settings tab, and 3 folders to help organize your data. The middle pane allows access to your data by category. Categories include Web site log-ins, secure notes, credit card data, identities, and a password generator. There also is an option to add other categories such as bank accounts, membership cards, driver’s license information, and others. The far right pane displays data for the selected record.

Data from selected records can be used in 3 ways. Tapping on individual pieces of data, such as a password, brings up a bubble with the options to copy the password to your clipboard or reveal the password so you can write it down. Tapping on the Web site opens a Web browser, opens the selected Web site, inserts your username and password, and logs into the Web site for you, all in 1 tap. The third way to use the stored data is through your regular Web browser and what is called a URL scheme. When arriving to a password-protected Web site in your normal Web browser (eg, Chrome, Safari), typing the letters op (for One Password) in front of the Web site will open it in 1Password and log into the Web site for you in 1 tap. All of this automation and secure access to your data make 1Password a big time-saver.

How can it help me?

I no longer memorize passwords, keep them on a sheet of paper in my wallet, or store them on my computer desktop. Instead, I have memorized 1 complex password that gives me access to all my confidential data in 1Password, which has uncluttered my brain and improved my security practices. Because I no longer need to memorize passwords, I use 1Password’s password generator to create long, complex, alphanumeric passwords in place of my prior combinations of names and numbers of personal significance (ie, birth dates, anniversaries, children’s names). I no longer write confidential information on loose sheets of paper or hide important passwords on my computer desktop. Because all of my information is synchronized between all my mobile devices and computers, passwords are always at hand.

The Web browser in 1Password also is excellent. If I know I am going to enter a password-protected Web site, I immediately use the 1Password Web browser, which makes username and password entry 1 click away. Credit card information also is 1 click away, allowing me to fill out purchasing forms in 1 click. I also make ample use of the URL scheme, typing op in front of any Web site that requires a password. In 1 click 1Password enters my username and password, and then opens the site for me.

How can I get it?

1Password can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, or the product Web site.