However, although the cloud seems like the most secure method to store them, it is not always the best option. The hack suffered by the servers of LastPass It is further proof of the lack of security measures for this type of services, at least among small developers, since, for now, large ones like Microsoft, Apple and Google have never suffered any type of hacking (remember that they are obliged to communicate it if it occurs).
Microsoft Authenticatorthe Microsoft platform integrated into the Edge browser and also available on iOS and Android mobile devices, is currently one of the best options available on the market in addition to being completely free. But, if you don’t want to know absolutely anything about this type of applications and you want to always carry your passwords on a USB, you have two options.
Encrypt the contents of the pendrive
If you use Excel to store the passwords you use on the Internet, you can protect the file with a password that prevents access, a password that, using certain tools available on the Internet, can be eliminated, so copying the file to a pendrive is not enough .
To make it really safe to carry passwords on a USB safely, what we must do is encrypt the drive using Bitlockeran application available for free on Pro versions of Windows.
This application encrypts all the contents of the pendrive and, when connected to a PC, requests a password to decrypt the contents and allow access. If we do not have the password, we will never be able to access the content, much less recover it, so it is important to remember it, since, we could say, the master password that unlocks access to everyone.
Use Sticky Password
But, if you don’t want to use a simple encrypted Excel file on a pendrivealso encrypted, you can use the Sticky Password application. Sticky Password is a password manager that allows store on a USB The passwords available in the Windows version are secure and encrypted at all times, without having to encrypt the entire pendrive.
What this application does is install a portable version on the USB or internal hard drive and protect access to all passwords through a master key. Unlike the option to encrypt the entire pendrive, Sticky Password only encrypts the contents of the file where the passwords are stored.
Although this application is available in free versionthis does not include the synchronization of passwords, so in order to always have them with you and updated, it is necessary to purchase an annual subscription that has a price of 19.95 euros or pay a lifetime license that has a price of 49.95 euros.
We can try the version completely free of charge Premium and thus assess whether this way of managing and always carrying passwords with you is really worth it or resorting to the method that we have indicated in the previous section.
