Keepass + Dropbox = Securing Your Digital Life

In light of the recent gawker.com security breach it might be time for you to really crack down and create more secure passwords.  Yes passwords, as in different passwords for each site you use that are not your kitty cat's name.  There are many ways to go about doing this, but if you are like me you want it to be as painless as possible.  Enter a little application called keepass.  Keepass will store all of your passwords into an encrypted database, which means nobody will be using your facebook profile to market free ipads!  Keepass is a very simple installation(i recommend the portable version) and super easy to get up and running.  Download it here and get started today.  No seriously, you need to do it now!

So now you have your keepass database setup and all your passwords are characters (and spaces) long.  Good for you.  But what happens when you use a different computer, are you going to email that password database around or store it on a usb key?  That doesn't really make sense because if you need to change a password or add one, it will take a lot unneccesary work to get everything synced back up.  This is where it gets really cool.


Dropbox.  Dropbox is a Web-based file hosting service
that allows you to sync your files across as many computers as you want!  Great thing about dropbox is that its windows, mac, and linux compatible.  No matter your preference, dropbox has a version that will work for you.  First you need to create an accout at dropbox and then install the utility.  Dropbox will create a folder on your computer and whenever you copy a file into that folder in an instant the file will be in your dropbox account online and synced to your other computers.  Do you see where I am going with this?

Keepass + Dropbox = having your passwords with you wherever you go and most importantly, in a secure fashion.  All you have to do is take your keepass database file and copy it into your dropbox folder.  Instantly you have your password database at your fingertips everytime you go online.  Plus any changes you make are instantly synced so you never have to worry about copying the latest version to your usb drive or uploading it somewhere.  You make a change or add a password, click save, and instantly its synced everywhere else.

I think it makes the most sense to store the keepass database file and also the keepass executable in your dropbox folder.  This way if you ever get into a situation where somebody doesnt have keepass installed and you need access to your passwords your just go to your dropbox account, download keepass.exe and your keepass database and you are all set.  Both files are super small so it will always be ready in just a snap.

Taking these small steps will make your digital life a million times more secure.  In the case of the gawker hack the first 8 characters of the passwords were decrypted, but with keepass you can make your passwords as big and as complicated as you want and never have to remember them!  You pretty much guarantee that you will be safe.  And online safety is becoming a bigger issue everyday.  So I encourage you to get right to it.  Download keepass, go create your dropbox account, and secure your online life now!  Do it!