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Regarding password managers, I feel uncomfortable, especially when it comes to high-value targets like developers of important software. If you're a potential

Regarding password managers, I feel uncomfortable, especially when it comes to high-value targets like developers of important software. If you're a potential target for malicious actors, is it a good idea to have a single point of failure for your logins? I certainly see the point about the realities of password reuse, but can we quantify the risks of one approach vs the other somehow?

TheDong 8y ago
fwiw a password manager doesn't have to be such a single point of failure. I use `password-store`, which means to get a password I just need access to my gpg key. My gpg key lives on 3 yubikeys and in 1 bankvault as a paper backup. If my main yubikey is destroyed or I somehow forget the pin to it, I just need to go to the bank vault. If I wanted to err on the side of being more able to access it, I could leave an unencrypted copy of the gpg master key with a trusted friend. Since there are many password managers with different models, I think it's difficult to quantify exactly the failure mode of each. However, the reality is almost all security experts recommend password managers, and almost everyone who uses 1password for a while doesn't want to go back.. so clearly there's something to it. The only people I see doubting are people who have uneasy feelings but haven't really written down their threat model nor consulted security professionals.
thephyber 8y ago
> is it a good idea to have a single point of failure for your logins? Just like logging into to 2 SaaSes from the same computer... at which point a keylogger/camera/microphone on/near that computer becomes the single point of failure. There is a point at which too much paranoia paralyzes a person into inaction. Criticizing people for not defending against nation-state level attacks (eg. Password Manager attacks) when we can't even defend ourselves against the neighbor's son (credential stuffing without 2FA) seems like putting the cart before the horse.
- bigiain 8y ago
  While I really like 1Password - I do in my more paranoid moments wonder if it's become so well known and popular that it's probably a worthwhile target for attackers smaller than nation states? It's pretty obvious some of the cryptocurrency thefts have been for amounts far in excess of what a seriously talented group would need to consider taking on a password manager...

TheDong 8y ago

fwiw a password manager doesn't have to be such a single point of failure. I use `password-store`, which means to get a password I just need access to my gpg key. My gpg key lives on 3 yubikeys and in 1 bankvault as a paper backup. If my main yubikey is destroyed or I somehow forget the pin to it, I just need to go to the bank vault. If I wanted to err on the side of being more able to access it, I could leave an unencrypted copy of the gpg master key with a trusted friend. Since there are many password managers with different models, I think it's difficult to quantify exactly the failure mode of each. However, the reality is almost all security experts recommend password managers, and almost everyone who uses 1password for a while doesn't want to go back.. so clearly there's something to it. The only people I see doubting are people who have uneasy feelings but haven't really written down their threat model nor consulted security professionals.

thephyber 8y ago

> is it a good idea to have a single point of failure for your logins? Just like logging into to 2 SaaSes from the same computer... at which point a keylogger/camera/microphone on/near that computer becomes the single point of failure. There is a point at which too much paranoia paralyzes a person into inaction. Criticizing people for not defending against nation-state level attacks (eg. Password Manager attacks) when we can't even defend ourselves against the neighbor's son (credential stuffing without 2FA) seems like putting the cart before the horse.

bigiain 8y ago
While I really like 1Password - I do in my more paranoid moments wonder if it's become so well known and popular that it's probably a worthwhile target for attackers smaller than nation states? It's pretty obvious some of the cryptocurrency thefts have been for amounts far in excess of what a seriously talented group would need to consider taking on a password manager...