The Best Password Security

April 10, 2018 7:44 AM

I use Keeper password manager. (MAC) Is there a better, or easier password protection? My browser, Safari, has a built-in password manager that can autofill. Is this any good? Do other browsers have a better system? While I'm at it, is Safari the best browser?
posted by ebesan to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

All the browser-based password managers are considered to be somewhat insecure, at least compared to standalone password managers. (Full disclosure, though: I still use Chrome's build-in password management anyway.)

I think Safari might technically use Apple's Keychain, though, which is a different story altogether, and is indeed a pretty solid solution, especially if you've fully bought in to the Apple ecosystem for your other devices.

For third-party stuff, LastPass and 1Password are the other big ones. But there doesn't seem to be any particular advantage for either of those over Keeper, so you may as well just keep doing what you're doing.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:02 AM on April 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

Both chrome and Firefox are better than safari on Mac, for the past maybe 10 years, imo.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:41 AM on April 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

Speaking as a web developer - Safari is the worst browser IMO
posted by missmagenta at 8:43 AM on April 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you have a Macbook Pro with Touch ID, I'm loving 1Password for the mere fact that it makes me Touch ID before it autofills in Safari or other browsers, or before it opens the Mac App. (Also Face/Touch ID on iOS devices.)

The keychain autofilling is definitely better than nothing by far.

In my experience Safari is by far the most efficient in terms of RAM and CPU.
posted by supercres at 8:46 AM on April 10, 2018

It's really hard to say what the "best" browser is. I personally would rank them Safari-Firefox-Chrome based on my own needs, and maybe Firefox-Safari-Chrome for other people. If I need a browser with even better standards support than Safari I use Firefox, but I like the ability to grab open windows from my other devices (iCloud tabs) more than I like Firefox. I quit using Chrome a few years ago because it's an awful resource hog. I think I might have it on my Windows computer, but it's not on any of my Macs.

iCloud Keychain is actually pretty damn good and I wouldn't feel uncomfortable using it if I didn't have to share passwords with my wife all the time. We use 1Password in local storage mode and have its encrypted keychain synced through other means (that I hope are encrypted enough). At least we don't have all our eggs in one basket. Our 1Password master password isn't stored anywhere at all (not even written down) and I don't have any banking passwords in iCloud
posted by fedward at 8:53 AM on April 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

the iCloud Keychain implementation is pretty dang good. (edit: seconding this opinion!)
posted by Annika Cicada at 10:24 AM on April 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you're willing to trust the iCloud password management, which in my experience is pretty good, and have multiple Apple devices then it's an easy option. The only irritation I have is that looking up passwords manually, in the situation where you need to use them on a computer not signed into your account, isn't incredibly obvious: you have to go to Settings and then "Accounts & Passwords" to get to them.

The ability to generate strong passwords and have them autosaved across your mac/iPhone/iPad outweighs the negatives for me, but ymmv
posted by mikeh at 11:28 AM on April 10, 2018 [1 favorite]