Vista Password Recovery technique

Daily Cup of Tech describes how a Vista Password Recovery Helps Widow.

If you (legitimately!) need to recover the administrator password for a Vista system, this may be your answer.

Keep Your Password Secret

Keep Your Password Secret is a service which allows you to safely use public computers and networks despite the risks of spyware and keyloggers.

“…in many cases it is still possible that someone else has installed the spyware without the owner’s knowledge or consent, even without ever being physically present at the site! The spyware could then pick up your passwords when entered into the computer and disclose them to whoever controls the spyware – and this works, of course, also remotely.”

“Our service, called KYPS, enables you to log into your accounts from a public/shared computer, without disclosing your password to that computer. KYPS is very easy to use and does not require you to run any software on the public/shared computer – all you have to do is to obtain a list of one-time codes from the KYPS server, print these codes, and keep the printout safely in your wallet (alternatively you could save your codes on your mobile phone or PDA). You can then log into your account using your one-time codes instead of your password.”

CIRT.net has Default Passwords for Electronic Devices

MakeUseOf has a post on CIRT.net where you can Lookup Default Passwords for Electronic Devices.

“CIRT.net maintains a large list of default passwords for all kinds of gadgets and electronic devices. Did you ever try changing settings on some gadget but couldn’t do it because it required some password you had never set up. That’s exactly what CIRT.net can help you with.”

RouterPasswords

MakeUseOf has a post on RouterPasswords: Default Passwords for Routers.

“Having trouble accessing your router because you don’t remember the password for it? Head to RouterPasswords.com. This handy website lists defaults passwords and user names for almost any router you want, regardless if it is a Linksys, Netgear or D-Link router. Simply select the router model from the drop-down list and click on the ‘Find Password’ button.”

Sxipper addon for Firefox handles passwords and more

Sxipper is a Firefox addon which handles passwords and more.

“Sxipper is a free Firefox add-on that saves you time by keeping track of an unlimited number of usernames and passwords as well as the personal data you share every day over the web.”

Use at your own risk, but this should be safer than just the regular Firefox password save.

MashedLife: Securely Store Your Passwords Online

MakeUseOf has a post aboutMashedLife: Securely Store Your Passwords Online

I’m of two minds about this service.  It’s a handy service to access your passwords from anywhere and multiple devices:

* Different machines: Mac, Linux, PC, and iPhone

* Browsers from Opera, Safari, Chrome, Firefox to IE.

which makes it easier to use them.

ON THE OTHER HAND, you are trusting somebody else with all your passwords, and you must remember to not leave this function running on a public computer or shared computer.

lastpass.com – The Last Password You’ll Have To Remember

[updated 2009.7.27]

lastpass.com – The Last Password You’ll Have To Remember is a free password manager and form filler that makes your web browsing easier and more secure.

This is like Roboform, but some consider it better than the free version, since you can install it or carry it with you.

Update: Ian “Gizmo” Richards, a tough reviewer, has become a big fan of Lastpass.  “The class-leading password manager is the commercial [pay for full function] program RoboForm. I’ve used it for years and it works really well. I’ve never found a freeware product that comes close to matching RoboForm in terms of features or ease of use — until now.”

“LastPass is a freeware password manager with a difference. While most password managers — including RoboForm — are standalone utilities that run on your PC, LastPass combines a standalone component with a Web service.
This allows LastPass to offer some very attractive features. First, your saved passwords are accessible from different computers, not just one. Second, your passwords are automatically synchronized across PCs. Finally, you get automatic offsite backup of your passwords and other private information.
While these features are most welcome, the area where LastPass really shines is ease of use. In my experience, the program is just as well designed as RoboForm, and in some respects it’s better.”

“There’s even a special portable version of LastPass that runs from a USB stick and uses a special version of Portable Firefox.  Be sure to scroll down the download page and get the special portable version for that

I’ve saved the best news for last: LastPass can import all your saved Internet Explorer and Firefox forms and logins. It can also import your data from RoboForm and just about every other popular password manager. That makes the initial setup a snap.”
[quoted from Windows Secrets -- complete review requires donation, but this newsletter is worth it]

SPECIAL HELP NOTE:  when importing from another program (in this case, KeePass, also recommended), LastPass wants KeePass to export your passwords into an XML file so it can read and import them.

1. I had a special characters replace different characters every few entries, so I had to scan down and replace those with the proper ones.  Fortunately, it used a very distinctive and obvious special character that was easy to spot.

2. I had some “filler” information in the expiration field of some of my older KeePass entries, and I had to search and find for that so I could delete it.

LastPass will tell you exactly what it expected to find when it says it couldn’t do the importing yet, so you can hunt for these and fix them.  Once I did that, it imported everything quickly.  REMEMBER TO DELETE THE XML FILE AFTER SUCCESSFULLY IMPORTING PASSWORDS!

Just a passing phrase… for a password

ZDNet offers Phrase Password Generator to make it easy to “create your unique phrase to a secure password. It is simple solution of hard-to-remember safe password problem. You just need remember your easy-to-remember phrase. Small size and sui generis password generation algorithm makes this program an irreplaceable assistant.”

Freeware.  Registration required.

PassPack for online password management

PassPack bills itself as a free online password manager.

“Think of it as a password manager, automatic login and personal vault all in one. With PassPack you can quickly login to websites, as well as organize and store logins and private notes. Save up to 100 entries for free!”

Can PassPack read my passwords? Not even if we wanted to. It’s not possible. PassPack stores your locked pack for you without knowing what’s inside. PassPack can not unlock your private data. Only you can, with your Packing Key.

Is PassPack just for passwords? It’s your account, use it for whatever you want: Frequent Flyer miles, registration numbers, travel plans, notes, or even just links that you’d like to keep private (please, no financial data). You can find more examples in our ideas page.

Is PassPack portable? PassPack follows you everywhere. It’s available 24/7 via internet. You can access your passwords from home, from work, at the library, or anywhere else. There is nothing to install, and no USB keychain needed.

As always, use such services at your own risk, but it might be useful to have access to your information from anyplace you can access the Internet.

Reset your Windows Administrator password

It may not come up often, but when you need to reset the password for the Administrator in Windows, this tip could come in handy.

Internet Fixes has instructions on how to do this, step by step. Note- this only works if you have administrator status yourself, already.

Remember that you should always set your Administrator password to something other than the default because that will make it harder to break into your computer.

Windows administrator password info

Windows XP administrator password–required for operations such as booting into Safe Mode–Microsoft has a knowledge base entry that will help you reset the password.

Recommended PC World.

Update as of 5/5/08:

Another source of information is Microsoft’s “The Road to Know Where” pages where they have “How to use Windows XP’s password reset disk.”

Listing your passwords

Web site passwords: If you set Windows to remember your passwords, you may not have a separate copy of what they originally were (unless you keep them in a password storage program or other record). Because Windows doesn’t do much to secure those stored passwords, you can get them back using other software. Revelation 2 from Snadboy Software will reveal any asterisk-hidden passwords. (It’s free, although the site asks for a donation if you keep the software.) A $15 utility called Aqua Deskperience pairs a similar password-revealing ability with some useful features such as a convenient screen grabber and the ability to copy text from any application (including those where a copy command isn’t available).

Recommended by PC World

License key to reinstall Windows from Keyfinder

In the event that you have to reinstall Windows, you will need the license key that came with your copy. This is probably a string of 25 random letters and numbers. Magical Jelly Bean Software’s freeware program called Keyfinder 1.41 will find your license key. Download the program and run it, then write down your key.

Recommended by PC World.

Password generated for free

[Last updated 2008/7/7]

WinGuides Password Generator generates a 32-character password for use with a high-security wireless connection.

PassPub generates a password for you designed to be “easy to remember. There are 3 types of memorable passwords you can generate: (1) Easy to remember keyboard combinations, (2) Chemical elements, and (3) Passwords that are easy to read – these passwords use alternate vowels and consonants, suffixed by a 3-digit number.”  Recommended by MakeUseOf.

Plan ahead with a Password Recovery Disk

One Computer Guy has instructions on Creating a Password Recovery Disk for Windows XP.  The catch is, you have to PLAN AHEAD and create it before you need it.

This will only work for one computer, and not for a network password on campus.

Here’s the tip:

In case you forget your password, you can create a password recovery floppy disk beforehand to help you out of this problem.

1. Single-click Start menu
2. Go to the Control Panel / User Accounts
3. Click the User Account
4. On the left hand side, click on Prevent forgotten password
5. You will need to know your password to create the disk.
6. If you don’t remember your password sometime in the future, click on the green arrow like normal at the login and you will be prompted to insert the password recover disk.

Recommended by Lifehacker.

Microsoft on creating strong passwords

Microsoft has an article called “Strong passwords: How to create and use them” on how to create passwords that are extremely difficult for someone else to break.

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