Your Own Web-Based Password Vault: Google Browser Sync
Posted by: Mr. Tech in Backup, FireFox, Free Stuff, Google, Google Browser Sync, Mac, Security, Small Business Corner, WindowsWe all have dozens of passwords we use to login to websites that we need to keep track of. Since password management can be cumbersome, many people simply resort to using the same password for every website, but this is not a good security practice.
What if you could store all your website passwords in an online, encrypted password vault, and access them from ANY machine?
You can have all this — and more — for only $19.99! I’m kidding: it’s actually all free. All you need is Firefox, a free Google account, and the Google Browser Sync Firefox Add-on.
Google Browser Sync gives you the option to sync your “Saved Passwords” in Firefox up to Google’s servers (where they are encrypted). You can also choose to sync your Firefox Bookmarks, Cookies, Browser History, and even Tabs and Windows.
Even if you’re using only one machine, it’s nice to know you have a backup of this information online.
If you use more than one machine, you can login to Google Browser Sync with your Google account (of course both machines need Firefox with the Google Browser Sync Add-on). (NOTE: if you have Gmail, then you already have a free Google account).
These also works between a Mac and Windows machine, since Firefox Add-ons are cross-platform.
Here’s an example: let’s say you use Firefox at home on your Mac, and you also use Firefox at work on a PC. If you save a password in Firefox on your Mac, it will sync up to Google’s servers, and when you go to work and use Firefox on your PC, that password will be available. If you also choose to sync Bookmarks, Cookies, Browser History, and Tabs and Windows, you will have the same Firefox experience on both computers.
This is especially helpful if at work you use Internet Explorer for official business and Firefox for, uhh, “other” purposes (i.e., personal use only during approved lunch breaks, and even then only if you’ve completed all your TPS reports).
One note of caution if you choose to sync bookmarks between machines: each machine added will synchronize all your bookmarks, so they will be mixed together on both machines. For some this is a benefit, for others you may wish to delete all bookmarks on one machine so as to import bookmarks from the other.
Another caveat: if you are syncing Tabs and Windows between browsers, you probably do not want to use the option to “Show my windows and tabs from last time” within your Firefox preferences, since Google Browser Sync will be doing this for you.
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April 5th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
isn’t that feature built into FF 3.0?
April 7th, 2008 at 2:38 am
No, there is no online, encrypted password vault as part of Firefox 3 (currently in beta). But according to the Firefox 3 beta release notes, it will have an improved interface for saving passwords: “Easier password management: an information bar replaces the old password dialog so you can now save passwords after a successful login.”
Still, this is just an improvement to the interface for saving passwords in Firefox on ONE machine. But if you want those passwords saved online and accessible from any machine (and optionally bookmarks, browser history, cookies, and Tabs & Windows), simply follow the instructions provided in this article.