Making the right connections

 

 

Review
Automatic, Secure Password Manager & Form Filler

Passwords are one of the biggest headaches faced by anyone involved with computers. Around a third of calls made to corporate help-desks are related to password problems.

When at home, how do you choose a password that is easy to remember but still secure?

Do you use the same password on every site you log in to, leaving yourself exposed to phishing attacks?

And as part of the log-in process or registration for sites, how much time do you spend filling in forms asking you for personal information?

A study by the Network Applications Consortium reported that the typical user spends up to 44 hours annually logging on to just four applications.

RoboForm securely stores passwords, automatically logs you into accounts and completes registration forms with just one click

Key Features:

  • Secure management of your passwords and automatic log in,
  • Fill long registration forms with one click,
  • Encrypt your passwords to achieve complete security using AES, Blowfish, RC6, 3-DES or 1-DES algorithms,
  • Generate random passwords to maximize password strength,
  • Fight phishing by entering passwords only on matching web sites,
  • Defeat key loggers by not using the keyboard to type passwords,
  • Take the security of RoboForm with you on a USB stick (Pass2Go version),
  • Extend the security to your Palm or Pocket PC.

How User Friendly is the Product?

The all important “first time use” was very positive. Good clear labels and sensible prompts are backed up by a simple tutorial. I am not a security specialist and I understood it perfectly.

Having entered your details into Roboform, when you get to an online form, you simply click the “Fill Forms” button, and Roboform does exactly that.

After you give your permission Roboform installs on to your web browser's toolbar. It then picks up usernames and passwords as you browse. Taking this information, RoboForm creates 'Passcards', remembering log-in details for specific sites and services. These are stored on RoboForm's Passcard page and in a drop-down on your web browser. When you click a website's name from the RoboForm Passcard drop-down, RoboForm points your browser to the site, logging you in as it does so.

I personally have found this easier than storing passwords in offline documents, opening up spreadsheets or word docs every time I visit or re-visit a site.


Is it Any Good?

Roboform stands out against other form fillers because of the added bonus you get from its password management functions. This makes it an incredibly complete solution to storing and entering information online – it even helps create secure passwords for you.

The mobile options are also worth mentioning. If you take out the ‘Pass2Go’ licence, you can apply this security to any PC you use – ideal for those who are either nervous about using computers other than their own.

On the down side, it is a seriously limited free version and it is left to the user to backup your system and change the password that protects Roboform itself. So it does need a little discipline – not much, but a little.

What we say:

Before you even get to the security bit, one of the real benefits Roboform delivers is not having to fill in forms any more. I have found that this makes using the Internet to shop around for the best deal so much easier and quicker, especially when it comes to insurance or other products that depend on lots of your personal information. Like GoodSync (also from Siber) Roboform is very easy to use – you simply click one button to fill in the information the site requires.

Roboform has also increased the security of my web browsing. It can generate heavy-duty passwords (which, at up to 512 characters long, I am glad I don’t have to remember). Roboform is itself password protected so your personal information is secure. A key issue with software such as the trust you can put in it and Roboform works hard to earn that trust.

For maximum security you do need to make sure your password for Roboform itself is regularly updated. But Roboform has made me much more password and security aware and got me into all sorts of good habits

What other people say:

Roboform has had positive recommendations from the likes of the Wall St Journal, New York Times and PC World. It received a PC Magazine ‘Editor’s Choice’ in 2006 and the ‘Best web enhancement’ SIA People's Choice Award in 2004.

Free vs. Pro version:

The free version is quite limited - just ten ‘passcards’ (log in details for specific sites), two identities and three custom fields within either identity. By comparison the Pro version delivers incredible flexibility and a second licence is very cheap.

For your money you also get toolbars that work well with IE or Firefox. For those looking to exploit the mobility that Roboform offers, the Pass2Go version that lives on a USB drive, works on as many computers as you like.

Summary:

The convenience that Roboform affords is quite incredible and there is a lot to be said for the peace of mind you get from not worrying about forgotten passwords and indeed from using the passwords Roboform creates (which are a lot stronger than most of the ones I came up with).

 

 

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