Starting with the basics…first off, it is important to gain some control over all of the passwords you use on the internet. KeePass is a great general purpose ‘password vault’ which keeps all of your information in your control. I have been using LastPass (which is a similarly great app, but it keeps all of your passwords online, in what you could call ‘their vault’. If you are bothered by this lack of control, KeePass is the tool for you. For what it’s worth, I have been cultivating both of these tools (the ultimate in dithering about making a decision on this issue…).
Where KeePass has some real advantages is in controlling things which might not be online… Since you have control over any sort of password, this is a great place to store them. The fact is that you could do things like, encrypt EverNote files, or for that matter, almost anything on your computer, as well as even such obvious things as your login and password…
This is where there are some ‘tricks’ you can do with KeePass… I keep the KeePass encrypted database in my DropBox folder (thus allowing me to use the same database (and its contents) from any computer which has internet access. Even further using this idea, I have a portable KeePass app (on a flashdrive) in which I sync this same database…
The advantages in this set up is that any additions to modifications you might make (i.e. adding an entry, or changing a password…) are automatically updated whenever you sync the flashdrive, and are similarly always up to date if you use DropBox to access this information.
If you are interested in really fine tuning KeePass, there is a page on their site which contains plenty of plugins and additions for you to try out. There are plugins to integrate KeePass into Firefox (ala LastPass), and some other tools to back up this utility…
Eight Best KeePass Plug-Ins to Master Your Passwords
http://lifehacker.com/5046988/eight-best-keepass-plug+ins-to-master-your-passwords
Five ways to use DropBox like a pro
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/five_ways_use_dropbox_like_a_pro
How to Auto Save the Database in KeePass Password Safe
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2010/04/20/how-to-auto-save-the-database-in-keepass-password-safe
Using KeePass to Secure Your Online Accounts
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/using-keepass-to-secure-your-online-accounts
