Keep access data secure with Cryptonify

Data Entry

Once you have made all the adjustments, the next step is to enter the access data. First, you should create categories in Cryptonify in which you can summarize similar services. To this end, click the leftmost switch New category at the top of the program window. In a new window, Cryptonify now prompts you to specify a name for the category.

The new category will appear on the left sidebar of the main window after you click Save. Select the new category by simply clicking it, and open the window for data entry by clicking New entry at the top left of the main window. Now enter the corresponding data for the website (Figure 5); the password is not displayed in plain text. A bar displayed directly below the fields for entering the password indicates how secure the password is. If passwords are insecure, it is advisable to create a stronger one at the earliest opportunity.

Figure 5: Enter your access data for individual website in a clearly arranged dialog.

You can also add more information or attach a file containing important additional data (e.g., about the relevant page) in the Other tab of the input dialog. Cryptonify encrypts this file when the entry is saved. Once you have done this, save the new entry by clicking Save. The software then displays the data in the right list view (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Categories and access data can be easily gathered in the main window.

Because the collected passwords are not displayed in plain text, when you need to see one, right-click the corresponding entry on the right side of the main window in the list view. A context menu now opens from which you can select the Show password option. Cryptonify then issues the corresponding password in a separate window in very large letters.

Fully Automatic

The plugin server integrated in Cryptonify enables automatic login on indexed websites in conjunction with a corresponding browser extension. To do this, download and install the extension for the browser used via the Cryptonify settings menu; you also need to enable the plugin server. You can do both of these things in the Settings | Properties | Plugin-Server tab.

When gathering authentication data, you need to enter the exact URL containing the login dialog in the Website input field. As soon as you access one of the indexed login pages with Cryptonify launched in the browser, the extension will display that it can automatically transmit the credentials to the website. The Cryptonify icon is only on the login screen in the entry field for the user name. As soon as you click it, the extension automatically fills out the dialog; the browser loads the protected website.

If you have several access-protected accounts with the same provider and have acquired them all with the same login page in Cryptonify, you can obtain the desired access data by clicking the Cryptonify icon in the browser. A list of the individual accounts then appears, from which you can select the desired authentication. Cryptonify automatically fills the corresponding fields in the website and you only need to click the login button on the page to use the service.

When entering authentication data, Cryptonify allows optional comments (e.g., to indicate specific service characteristics for the registration). The browser extension shows a small information icon when you click the icon to the right behind the access data, so you can view the comments later, too. It indicates that a comment has been left for this provider in Cryptonify. To read the comment, click the corresponding entry twice in the main program window. The entry window then opens and displays the comment at the bottom.

Conclusions

Cryptonify puts an end to lost or forgotten access data for web services and frees you of exuberant trails of paperwork for usernames and passwords. The Java program is very well conceived and works quickly and stably. The program interface is clearly arranged and can also be operated without time-consuming training. Extensive documentation for almost every menu item eliminates ambiguities to a great extent. Thus, you no longer have any excuse to use web services with insecure access data or even using the same access data everywhere.

The Author

Erik Bärwaldt is a self-employed IT admin and works for several small and medium-sized companies in Germany.

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