In daily use, we have to remember and enter a large number of passwords to access social networks, forums, etc. This is not only a hassle but also poses a security problem against “key logger” programs (programs that capture what we type), and can lead us to forget the password for a site we visit infrequently. Using the “remember passwords” function in browsers is even less secure and worsens the problem of forgetting, as we cannot check the saved passwords.
LastPass is a “cloud” password storage service. That’s where its name comes from - the last password you’ll need to remember. It installs as a Chrome extension, and its use is transparent. The first time you enter a page, it will ask if you want to save the data, and the next time you enter, it will fill it in automatically. The data is stored on its server, and we can check it whenever we want, use it on another computer, or recover it when we format our computer.
The logical question is… is this safe? Well, think of it this way. Passwords are stored encrypted on an external server, and communications between your computer and the server are also encrypted. LastPass never has access to your passwords (in fact, if you forget your LastPass password, it would be impossible to recover the stored passwords). The form-filling has anti-keylogger protection. So, while not infallible, it is much safer than entering your password each time or using the browser’s remember password function.
Finally, it’s worth noting that LastPass is free for personal use on Windows, Linux, and Mac, and for Chrome, Firefox, and IE browsers. It is available at https://lastpass.com/
