App Profile: Password Engine

The Password Engine takes a different approach to keeping track of all your passwords.

What distinguishes The Password Engine from other products is that you can use it to keep track of your passwords even though it does not store the passwords anywhere! Instead it computes them and shows you what they are when you need them.

*** Cited as having the "The User Interface of the Week" by the Daring Fireball (daringfireball.net).

BONUS: In addition to the iPhone application, there is a free web based version for use on your Macintosh, PC, or any computer that has a web browser. The iPhone and web versions will generate exactly the same passwords. See http://www.mackinnon.org/fairbornson/passwordEngine.html for more information.

FEATURES:
* Generates passwords based on multiple criteria.
* A unique password is generated for each service provider and user name.
* You can store a list of service providers and user names for easy recall that will generate the same password each time.
* Does not store your actual passwords anywhere.
* Optionally copies the generated password to your paste buffer for easy use.
* Free web based version for use on your desktop computer.

OVERVIEW:
The best password is one you can remember and that no one else can guess. However, it seems that too often, you have to create a new password for any number of reasons. Furthermore, it seems that the different places you use your passwords all seem to have different rules for creating the passwords. Some require letters, some require numbers, some require punctuation, some don't allow words, and many require come combination of all of these rules. This encourages us to write the passwords down which is a bad idea.

This is where The Password Engine comes in. It will show you what your password is for any occasion without actually storing it anywhere! Importantly, it will create the same password every time for you for a given purpose.

And if you need them on your desktop computer, a complementary and secure Web interface is provided.

HOW IT WORKS:
The Password Engine is a generator that will create passwords using a number of criteria that you give it. The criteria include what you are using it for and the number and types of characters that should be included in the password. Using these criteria a password is computed that will be the same each time you need it without storing it anywhere.

By changing any of criteria, the password generated will change as well.

ADVANTAGES TO THIS APPROACH
* Your passwords are never stored anywhere yet you can recall them whenever you need them.
* You determine what characters are in your password.
* Even if you don't have your iPhone with you, you can use the Web based interface to show you what your passwords are. The iPhone and the Web version both will generate the same password for the same criteria you give it.
* The iPhone version requires no internet connection to function.

IS THIS SECURE?
Any system that relies only on passwords is not totally secure. And your most critical passwords such as for your bank accounts should only be kept in your head and never stored anywhere.

The Password Engine takes these measures to increase security:

* A global code is utilized to create your password based on the criteria. You choose this code and it's never stored anywhere. If you change your code, the passwords generated will be different. Without this global code, the Password Engine will not have or be able to display your passwords.
* The actual passwords generated are never stored anywhere.
* The web-based version that comes is provided for free and does not transmit any information about your passwords over the internet nor is it stored anywhere.
* The information you enter is only stored on your iPhone if you wish it to be. It is not stored anywhere else other than when backups are created on your desktop.