I spend a significant amount of time online – and do so using a myriad of online services – from accounting to banking, from email to my various blogs, from e-commerce sites to airline services – I live in a world of usernames and passwords. Like others I tend to have a few variations on a theme with passwords, an exceptionally risky, yet pragmatic response to login hell. So when I find a solution that takes care of all my password woes, remembers them for me, suggests tem for me and does a bunch of other stuff, even between different computers, I start getting pretty interested.
So it was that I recently stumbled across LastPass, a SaaS solution that promises to be “the last password you’ll ever remember”. LastPass combines a really well-designed web service with browser add-ons for the majority of browsers and also throws in support for most mobile handsets as well. Across all devices and browsers, LastPass remembers your password, give advanced features such as automatic form filling and password generation, and keeps everything secure and tidy.
If I step back and think for a minute, I could get concerned about one web service (and a free one at that) holding all the passwords to my digital life, but LassPass is just so good I’ll take some faith from their security and technology disclosure page and keep on using it. After all it’s better than using the name of my first born child for every single web site and service I use!
There’s the odd thing I’d like them to deal with, so in that spirit here is my wish list:
- Integration with chrome for automatic password generation and form-filling
- Native integration with the windows mobile web browser
- Support for multiple passwords for sites (I have three internet banking log ins)
- Support for two factor authentication devices (and preferably the ability to use one TFA device for all sites – which would require by in from third parties but still..)
- Charge a little for all versions – people feel more secure when they pay for a service!
