1Passwd 2.3.11

Reviewed by Wayne LeFevre

Introduction

1Passwd is what the Keychain was supposed to be. It is technically a “Password Manager and Form Filler that goes beyond the basic AutoFill features while also working seamlessly across browsers. With 1Passwd you will never need to manually transfer passwords or saved forms between browsers each time you need to switch.” It allows you to fill in more information, yet still uses keychain to take advantage of it’s security. The application allows you to create multiple identities, keeping track of multiple credit cards, and the ability to fill out forms in every browser, including Firefox. It too can generate and remember strong passwords and prevents phishing by only filling out the proper form that you originally signed in on.

Getting Started

1Passwd is one of those programs that you don’t really hear about, and you don’t know that you really need it (until you have it.) It’s an application that I found through Don McCallister’s ScreenCastsOnline, then had the opportunity to try it out for myself when I received a copy from MacHeist. As soon as I started using it, I knew that I needed to have and buy an upgradeable copy.

1Passwd installs as well as a Mac program should. After installation, it can basically take over your keychain and browser auto-fill functions. At first, it can import everything from your keychain and all your auto-fill browser information. You can decide which browser you would like it integrate with, usually putting a 1Passwd symbol right next to the Address Bar.

Speaking of installations, Agile Web Solutions has implemented a new license verification feature. Find out more about it in my column this month, MacFevre.

Using the Software

After importing your keychain and your browsers information, the database can become a little unwieldy at first. To keep your data most secure, you should now turn off your browsers ability to save your passwords and auto–fill. This will all be taken over by 1Passwd. One of the apps new features is when you fill in a password for the first time, or use 1Passwd’s ability to create a new password for you, it now gives you a pop-up window asking what you would like to name the new 1Passwd title for that particular item. Trust me when I say this is a good thing. For after the initial imports and before this feature I have pages of passwords and forms that start with (Imported:) or (Auto saved;) Sometimes when I use the key symbol to pull out the password for a site, I’m greeted with three or four different choices for that site. One it imported from the site before I had 1Passwd, one that auto saved it when I imputed the information by hand, and another that who-knows where it came from.

I’ve been slowly going through and clearing out all the debris, whittling it down to one input form a website. It becomes very easy to input after that.

Passwords, of course, are not the only things that 1Passwd is good at. Besides keeping your web forms, It will keep Secure Notes, different identities for different online personalities, e-mails, addresses, credit cards and the like. It also keeps a Password History of the last 100 passwords that you let the application create for you, just in case you forgot to save it when you inputted the form.

Folders and smart folders are also an integrated part of the program, letting you decide which folders you can place which forms, passwords, or notes. After all these are to your liking, you can lock down 1Passwd, and the only way to input or retrieve any passwords or notes is through the master key. If you are at home and there is not much of a chance of people getting into your stuff, you can be very liberal with the key, having to input it only after the computer comes out of sleep or the initial logon. If you use it at work, you might want to re-input the master key when coming out of screensaver or actually have a time limit, putting the key in every hour or so. Again stressing that if you lose the master key, you lose it all. You will have to start over with a new keychain.

Conclusion

Again, this is one of those “desert island” programs. I couldn’t live without it now that it has become so integrated with my workflow. At the beginning of the review I mentioned that one of the weaknesses of the program is getting the sudden urge to change all your passwords. That’s because I, unfortunately, used to use basically the same password, with a little change here and there, for every site I signed up at. I know, bad habit. But with 1Passwd this is a habit that is in the past because of the ease of creating new ones, and not having to remember every one of them. There are other abilities that it will do (like .Mac integration,) and programs that go along with it, such as 1Passwd for Palm and Allbookmarks that should also be checked out.

Recommendation

If anything, try the free version of 1Passwd! It only lets you create 1 identity and 12 forms, but it will give you a good idea of the time it will save you. There are also screencasts on the website, as well as a ScreenCastsOnline screencast on the application. Take a look at them and see if 1Passwd is for you.