Maximum PC - UK (2019-12)

WHAT SHOULD YOU look for in your finely

balanced password manager? First,

it must be cross-platform—apps for

W i n d o w s , m a c O S , a n d L i n u x , p l u s b r o w s e r

add-ons, and mobile support on iOS and

Android. Second, you need full control

over where your passwords are stored—

whether your own hosted server or choice

of cloud storage provider. Third, we want

better transparency from our password

managers, which is where open source

comes in. And fourth—not mandatory,

but preferably—support for additional

forms of authentication to protect your

password vault, such as 2FA or key files.

THREE OPTIONS HIT THE SPOT

We’ve settled on three potential solutions.

The first is KeePass, the open-source

desktop password manager. If you already

store all your passwords in a KeePass

database, it makes sense to continue using

this feature. Check out the box opposite for

the quickest way to get a multi-platform,

cloud or network-synched password

setup using KeePassXC.

If you plan to store your database

online for always-accessible synching,

we strongly recommend making use of

KeePassXC’s additional security options

to protect your file if the server it’s

stored on is compromised. You can pair

it with a physical YubiKey, or create a

special key file that’s required alongside

your password to open the file, so

even if your password is subsequently

discovered, the vault remains off limits.

To add a key file, choose “Database >

Change master key,” click “Add additional

protection,” then “Add Key File.” Click

“Generate” to create the file—we suggest

saving this in a different location from

your password file. One option would be

to store it on another cloud platform (for

example, Google Drive if your main file is

synched via OneDrive).

BUILD ME UP, BUTTERCUP

Our second solution is Buttercup (https://

buttercup.pw). It checks all the platform

boxes, with support for Firefox and

Chrome browsers. Unlike KeePass, which

relies on third-party mobile support, all

Buttercup apps are native (and completely

f r e e). L i ke K e e P a s s , t h e r e’s n o p r o p r i e t a r y

server on which your password vault is

stored, but support for synching via the

cloud is baked into Buttercup’s DNA.

This is evident from the moment you

download and install the Windows client.

On first launch, you’re invited to click “Add

archive” to set up a new vault. From here,

you can create a new archive—which you

store locally—or choose “Connect Cloud

Sources” from the pop-up menu to create

an online archive for synching purposes.

The Windows desktop client supports

just four services: Dropbox, OwnCloud,

NextCloud, and WebDAV (which includes

Box among its supported clients). Google

Drive is conspicuous by its absence,

despite the fact it’s an option in both the

browser add-on and mobile apps—as a

workaround, if you have Backup and Sync

installed on your computer, generate

a new local archive, and save it in your

Google Drive folder to make it accessible

to your browsers and mobile devices.

Next, enter a master password to

protect your newly created archive—

the usual caveats apply: Make it as long

as possible, and try to avoid making it

obvious. That said, it’s the one password

you need to remember going forward, so

don’t make things too difficult for yourself.

Click “Confirm” and retype the password

before clicking “Confirm” again.

One of Buttercup’s neat features is that

it makes it easy to manage multiple vaults

at the same time—you can create more

than one and switch between them easily.

Use this to segregate passwords from

each other—you could, for example, keep

all your online passwords in one vault

synched to your cell phone and browser,

while offline passwords remain stored on

your PC only.

CREATING & MANAGING PASSWORDS

By default, the desktop application is

designed primarily to organize your

passwords into folders (or groups), plus

create new passwords from scratch.

Here, only title, username, and password

fields are provided—if you plan to

manually create web logons, you need

to click “Add new field,” enter “URL” for

the “Label,” then type the web address

into the “New Field” box to convert it into

something that works with the Buttercup

mobile app or browser add-on.

Look out for the magic wand button

next to the password feature—clicking

Add an ex tr a l ayer of securit y to your KeePassXC vault.

Direct sync support is currently limited to four options in Buttercup. ©^

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54 MAXIMUMPC DEC 2019 maximumpc.com