Keepass key file. KeePass is a complex password manager and generator, as well as the best program for storing and conveniently using passwords. Installation and general settings of KeePass

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Sooner or later, every user or administrator faces a security problem when storing multiple passwords. You will either prefer to create one universal password for all occasions, or you will store all your passwords in some unreliable, unprotected place. Therefore, if you are concerned about the current situation and are worried about the safety of your passwords, you will have to look for a solution.

I recommend you a free and reliable solution. KeepPass program has a wide range of functions, it is free and, importantly, it has an open source. The latter eliminates the possibility of embedding code to track your data and steal passwords. The convenience of using this program is that you will only need to come up with and remember one password and you can use it to access the database of all your passwords. Plus, for complete protection against unauthorized access, KeePass has the ability to create a key in the form of a file, without which it will be impossible to access the password file in the future.

Installing KeePass

To install Kipas, go to the download page (here). On the website you can choose 2 program options: Classic Edition and Professional Edition. To operate the first version of the program, you will not need to have Microsoft.NET installed, which is required for the second version of the program. I recommend installing Professional. Plus it is possible to install on a computer portable version. Portable is preferable because it leaves no traces and does not create entries in the registry. It just works.

You simply download the portable version, unzip the archive to the location from which you plan to run the program. Since I work from different places different computers, I found a solution for myself to use Google Drive for storing the program and password file. With this organization of the program's location, all changes and settings are saved for any computer, no matter where I work. Just take and move the program folder to the Google Drive folder. You can also use it to store programs and files with passwords for any cloud service. If you like it better removable media, you can use a flash drive. This is exactly what the Portable version of the program has.

How to Russify KeePass

After installation, the first thing you need to do is Russify the program. Russifying KeePass is very easy. Download the translation file for your language from this page and, in the case of the portable version, simply save the file from the archive to the folder with the program (the file looks like Russian.lngx). Please note that you need to select a file to download that corresponds to your version.

After that, run the program, select “Change Language...” in the “View” menu and select Russian in the window that opens (the available language will only appear if you downloaded the Russification file of the correct version and put it in the folder with the program). The program will prompt you to restart it. You agree and this completes the Russification.

Creating a Password Database

Next step is the creation of a password database. This special file, which actually stores all your data on accounts and passwords with all settings. You can create multiple files that store passwords. And each will have its own password. This can be done if several people work on the same computer under one account and everyone needs access to their passwords. And then in this case, each user opens only his own file and enters his password for access.

To create a new database, go to the “File” item and select “New ...” or you can immediately press the combination Ctrl keys+N. In the window that opens, select the location where your password file will be stored. As I said earlier, this file can be stored on any medium (DropBox, Google Drive, Yandex Drive, or simply on a flash drive). Select a name for the file and click “Save”.

The next step is to create a master password to access your password database. To protect your data, KeePass offers 3 different ways protection. Each of them can be used separately, or for complete and maximum protection, use all three or at least two methods. The third way (Account Windows entry) I don’t use it, so I won’t recommend it to you either.

To protect a file:

1. We come up with and create a main password for access. This is the password you will need to remember once to access all passwords. Enter the password in the field and in the second field “Repeat password:” enter exactly the same password. If the passwords match, the input field will be highlighted in white; if they do not match, the input field will be highlighted in red. The bar below (Quality Rating) indicates how crack-resistant the password you have created is. Try to ensure that the stripe is, if not complete, then at least in the green zone.
2. If you want to have a check using a key file, click on the “New” button (number 4 in the figure) and select a location to store this file. Again, this can be any medium, but logically it should be a different medium from the one on which the password file is stored. For example, a flash drive that you carry in your wallet for a key and the file with the database is stored in cloud storage and you remember the password for it. However, keep in mind that you will not be able to recover your password and if you lose the key file, you will also lose access to the database and will not be able to recover it. I only use the first method of protection. I came up with a very complex password and remembered it.
3. You can also add account as an identification method. But in the case of, for example, the portable version of KeePass, you will not have access to the password file from a different computer than the one on which you created it.

The next step, the program will offer to configure some password database parameters. I usually leave all settings unchanged. For better security, you can increase the number of encryption cycles. The larger the number, the longer it takes to open the password database. The time also depends on the power of your computer. The number of cycles can be selected for a specific computer based on the calculation that the database will open for 1 second. Just click on "Calculate for second delay". For my work computer, this number was over 14 million cycles. If you specify this parameter, then for less powerful computer(for example, you open the database on a weak old laptop), the opening time will not be 1 second, but much longer. I leave the remaining tabs as default.

Setting up and creating entries

After successfully creating a database, the program will automatically open this database and example records will already be created in the window. You can safely delete them or study them as examples.

The program window has 3 main areas that you will constantly use:

1. This is an area for grouping your data into folders. With their help, you can see all records or sort by a specific group. From the very beginning, it is best to decide on the structure of your data for storage. For example, I sort by folders in the following form: my sites, money, email, hosting, ftp, etc.
2. The second area is the records that are in the folder you selected on the left.
3. The third area is information about the entry that is selected.

To create new folder Right-click on the folder within which you want to create. And in the drop-down menu select “Add group” (1). In the window for adding a group, in the “General” tab, enter the name (2) and for convenience, you can select the icon (3).

The next step is to create a record directly that will store all the data about the login, password and other fields for quick access to them. To create, right-click in the field with records and select “Add record...” or you can press the key combination Ctrl+I.

A window will open for filling in data with many bookmarks. The main fields to fill out are in the first tab.

Fill in the “Name” field as the profile name for the created password. The name will be your login username and password, respectively, the password. The link field is either the site on which you use your login password or a link to the executable file if you enter your login and password in the program and not on the site. Later in the article I will show with an example how to use this.

If you are creating an entry for an existing account with a password, you simply enter existing password. To check the correctness of the entered password, simply click on the button with 3 large dots and the program will display symbols instead of dots. If a new entry is created and you need to come up with a password, then it is best for you to use the password generator that is built into KeePass.

To open the password generation tool, click on the button with the image of a key and a gear to the right of the “Repeat password” field. To use this tool without opening the record creation form, simply select “Tools” -> “Password Generator...” from the menu.

Using this form, you can create passwords as complex as you need. And thanks to the fact that you no longer need to memorize them, feel free to generate and use the most complex combinations.

In the settings of the password generator, you can set which symbols, uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and even special characters to use in generation (1) . The password length is also indicated. After setting the settings, you just need to open the “View” tab and select any of those offered in the list (3) . If you need to exclude any character from the generation, this can be done in the “Advanced” tab (2) .

After filling out all the data on the first tab, go to the most interesting, convenient and useful tab “Auto-dialer” (it is because of this feature that I fell in love with this particular program). Auto typing allows you to automatically fill in the fields for entering a website or program by pressing the key combination Ctrl+Alt+A.

For autodialing, go to the “Autodialing” tab and check that autodialing is turned on.

1. This switch selects which sequence to use when filling out login forms. For the most effective use, it would be best to immediately think through the folder structure and configure the sequence for each folder. In this case, the new entry will inherit the sequence that is defined for the folder.
2. We add a target window so that the program can determine which login and password entry to use. More on this below.

To set the general autodial sequence for a folder:

1. Right-click on the folder
2. Select “Change group” from the drop-down list
3. Go to the “Auto dial” tab
4. Click on the wand to generate a sequence
5. Set the required sequence. It is set as follows: in the “Placeholder” window, select it by clicking on the corresponding entry. The list is very large and it is possible to create almost any sequence. In my case, the following will happen: the title of the entry (Title) will be added to the field, then pressing the Tab key, then login, Tab, password and finally Enter.

After this, if the “Inherit autodial from group” switch is selected when creating a record, this sequence will be used. If you need to change the auto-dialing for any of the entries in the group, select “Use the following sequence” and specify the required one.

How to use KeePass

Using the example of creating entries to log into a website in Google browser Chrome and to connect to FTP server Using FileZilla I will show you how to create entries and use them. I always use KeePass to log into my sites.

1. In the left folder window, create a folder of entries for logging into sites. In the folder, click create a new entry.
2. Knowing my login and password, I write the name of the site in the title, the login in the name, and the password in the password, respectively.
3. Go to the “Auto-dial” tab and set the switch to the “Inherit auto-dial from group” position. By default, the autodial contains a sequence that in most cases is suitable for filling out login forms.
4. The next step is to indicate to the program the login window so that KeePass can automatically determine which entry to use for (in our case, this is a tab in Google Chrome with open page my site). Please note that the window and site must be open and active. Click the add button.
5. In the “Target window” drop-down list, find the element we need and click “Ok”. There can be several target windows for one record. And for each you can set a sequence. This is convenient if you use the same login and password for different sites and each requires its own sequence.
6. The target window should appear in the list. Click “Ok” and save our database by clicking on the blue floppy disk.

The record has been created and we just need to check its functionality. We open our website with a login form, place the cursor in the login field and press the key combination Ctrl+Alt+A. If everything is done correctly, KeePass will automatically insert your login and password information and click on login.

In order to use KeePass to insert a login and password into a program (for example, such as ), you must use the “Name” field and change the input sequence.

1. For convenience, we create a folder for FTP connections. When creating a folder, in the “Auto-Dial” tab, switch to the “Use the following sequence” position.
2. Using the “Magic Wand” button to the right of the field, set the following sequence as in the image.
3. In the created folder, add a new entry for connecting to FTP and in the “Name” field indicate the FTP address that the hosting provider gave you for the connection. The Title field will be used in the typing sequence as (Title). Those. kipas will take the data from the “Name” field (in my case it is 192.168.1.200) and substitute this value in the FileZilla field as an address. We fill in the login and password as in the previous example.
4. In the “Auto-dial” tab, when creating a record, we specify to inherit auto-dial from the group. This is convenient if you have a lot of entries in a folder and need to change the sequence. You simply change the folder settings and all entries will inherit it.
5. Add a target window by clicking the “Add” button and selecting from the list (to do this, run the necessary program FileZilla)
6. Click “Ok” and check the functionality.

I heard that you can hack KeePass. Tell me how to do it right use KeePass. How tune and how to protect your passwords so that they don’t get hacked?

Good question. As you understand, within the framework of this article I will not talk about how to choose best manager passwords, we did all this in previous articles. In this article I will try to talk in detail about all the intricacies of setting up and using the manager KeePass passwords.

• Password Manager KeePass
• Download KeePass
  • KeePass versions

KeePass plugins

How to hack KeePass

Password Manager KeePass

KeePass Password Safe - free utility(password manager), the program allows you to store all your passwords using one master master password.

The application supports Advanced Encryption Standard (AES (256-bit), Rijndael) and Twofish encryption algorithms. There is a portable version that does not need to be installed and can be stored on a flash drive. In addition, the utility has been translated into 40 languages. The program supports exporting the password database to different TXT formats, HTML, etc.., as well as import from different formats.

Download KeePass

There are several fraudulent sites on the Internet that, under the guise of the KeyPass program, offer to download fake malware for money. One such site is _keepass.de. This site has no relation to the KeePass developer.

You can download KeePass from the official website using these links. Version for:

KeePass versions

What is the difference between the Classic, Professional and Portable versions?

• Classic Edition - light version.
• Professional Edition is a more functional version. Cross-platform. Can work without recompilation in Linux, Mac OS X. For this version to work, you need to have it installed on your computer. NET Framework.
• KeepPass portable this version does not require installation and can be launched from a flash drive or from an archive.

How to Russify KeePass

Russification of KeePass is not a complicated process. To download the translation, go to the official translations page.

Download the translation you need. In our case it is Russian. Unzip the “Russian.lngx” file and put it in the program folder.

After that, launch the program, go to the View tab and select the Change Laguage option from the drop-down menu.

In the window that appears, select the added language. In my case it is Russian.

KeePass Russification

The program will prompt you to restart, after which the program interface will be in Russian.

There are a huge number of users who use this password manager, but not everyone knows how to configure the program correctly. And configuration in the case of this program is a very important matter. Correct setting will help protect your passwords.

Safety

The Security tab has some very important settings to note.

• Block when inactive
• Block during general inactivity
• Auto clear clipboard
• Block when using remote access
• etc.

See the image below where I have highlighted the most important settings to check to ensure the best password manager security.

Everything else is up to you.

Policy

On the "Policies" tab, you can allow or prohibit certain operations. Such as:

• Printout of passwords
• Export information
• Copying information
• Changing the master password
• etc.

Setting up KeePass: Policy

In this tab you can disable everything depending on your needs. For example, if you do not need to print information from the program, you can safely disable this option by unchecking the box. The same goes for using plugins and exporting records.

The more unnecessary things you disable in this tab, the more secure your password manager and the passwords you store in it will be.

Additionally

The “Advanced” tab contains quite a few very important settings, such as:

• Remembering and automatically opening recently opened password files
• Automatic key file search
• Remembering the directory in which the password file was last located.
• etc.

Setting up KeePass: Advanced

KeePass must be used correctly. Here are the basic rules to follow when using a password manager:

1. The first and most important rule is never to use easy password to access the password file.
2. Do not use the KeePass master password on other sites and services. The original password is only for KeePass.
3. Always have two copies of the password file on different media in case of loss or theft. And in different places, apartments, houses in case of fire.
4. Never keep a password file on your desktop.
5. Do not use additional password manager plugins.
6. Do not leave the password keeper open for a long time.

KeePass plugins

Now about the plugins. There are a huge number of plugins that you can download from the official

Introduction

The introduction will be short: a few words on the classic topic - “Does using a password manager instead of a notepad and pen mean a severe form of paranoia?” For most, the answer is obvious: whether you like it or not, the “notebook with a pen” stops working the very moment you start writing into it the login information for the 101st newfangled service that you decided to “just test.”
In general, switching to electronic storage of passwords is like quitting smoking: everyone supposedly realizes this need, but they always put it off until better times.

Briefly about the advantages and competitors of KeePass

A complete list of all program features is given on this page of the Russian-language website about KeePass.

I will only focus on a few key features, we will look at the rest as the article progresses:

• High security. In addition to purely technical details such as the encryption and caching algorithms used (which can be found in the link above), support is no less important for us two-factor authentication(to open the database you need to know the password + have a special file).
• Open source. There is an opinion that reliable cryptographic software cannot be closed. KeePass is an OSI Certified program.
• Cross-platform. Complete, including all mobile operating systems except WebOS and Symbian. Details on the official download page.
• Free. When a program of this level can be used for free, I see no reason to pay for analogues.
• Portability. KeePass does not require installation, can work from a flash drive, and does not create or store anything on the system.
• Test of time. KeePass is a classic. The program has been developed and supported since 2003. In such a delicate matter as storing passwords, it is obviously not worth chasing the latest innovations.

Now a few words about competitors (for more details, you can read the hub “Popular password managers in comparison”)…
Well, half of them offer their products on a paid basis (and as I said, I couldn't find a single reason why you should pay), and the other half stores your data in the cloud. In my opinion, it is obvious that a place where thousands of people keep their secrets is a very logical target for all kinds of attacks. So I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time, especially since the first news from LastPass has already arrived (proof on the hub “LastPass may have been hacked”).

I've never used LastPass, but from the reviews I get the impression that all of its features can be easily customized using KeePass and its plugins. The difference is that in this case only you will own your password database.

Installation and General settings KeepPass

Installation. Download and install latest version can be found on the official page of the program. I recommend a portable version with subsequent installation on a USB flash drive.

Russification. Download the Russian version of the language file from here and copy it to the program directory. After that

launch KeePass → View → Change Language → Select language → and Restart KeePass.

Launch at system startup. Let's force KeePass to start with the OS:

Tools → Settings → Integration → Launch KeePass at system startup (for the current user).

And we make sure that KeePass always starts in a minimized and locked state:

Tools → Settings → Advanced → Run in minimized and locked state.

Automatic saving of the database after changes. By cleverly using the ability to configure triggers for automation, we will achieve instant auto-saving of the password database after any significant change in it. To do this we go to

Tools → Triggers → Add.

Next, enter the name “Autosave database” and go to the tab

Events → User interface state has been updated → Conditions tab → The current password database contains unsaved changes → Actions tab → Save the current password database.

Increased number of encryption cycles. Why this is needed is clear from the screenshot below:


The number of cycles can easily be increased to several millions without significant slowdowns in operation. You can calculate what your computer is capable of by clicking on “Calculate for second delay”.

Composite master key

What is this? It’s simple, look: there is KeePass, there is a Password Database - a separate file that can be stored anywhere, there is a Master Password - what you should know to access this database, there is a Key file - that's what you have to have to access this database.

1) Main password. A password that you keep in your head or in another dry and safe place. The only thing you need to remember to work with KeePass. Naturally, your master password should be as strong as possible, etc.

Reminder to change the Master Password. We post it here:

File → Password database settings → Advanced:

2) Key file. The password to your database, which is contained not in your head, but in a file. Can be used instead of Primary password, but it is recommended to use in addition to him.

• It is recommended to select a file with a large amount of random data as the Key file, which should not be changed under any circumstances (otherwise you will not be able to open the database). The extension and name of the Key file can be anything.
• You should not store the Key file in the same folder as KeePass or the password database. It is better to choose a file that will be one of many similar files located in another folder and preferably on removable media. Make sure that the file name, extension, size and date match the other files in this folder.
• As a key file, you can try using a file that you can always easily download on the Internet. For example, an image on your blog. It is clear that this is not very reliable, but knowledge of such a life hack can come in handy.
• To make the process of working with KeePass a little safer, you can teach it to remember the path to the Key file and store the history. To do this we go to

  Tools → Settings → Advanced

  and uncheck “Remember key sources”. And then in the tab Appearance set the value for “Remember recently used files” = 0. And finally, do not forget to disable saving the history of recently used documents in Windows:

  Control Panel → Taskbar and Start Menu → uncheck the two checkboxes for Store and display.

  After these manipulations, the path to the Key file will need to be selected manually when starting KeePass.

Creating new entries

Setting up automatic passwords. When registering a new account, KeePass can automatically generate a random password for it. It is very comfortable. The default template of the resulting password can be slightly adjusted to increase reliability. It's done like this

Tools → Password Generator → Settings

Here we increase the number of characters in the new password and indicate which character sets we want to use when creating new passwords. On the View tab, you can immediately check out examples of passwords created using your template.
Next, on the same tab, select the “Auto-generated passwords for new entries” profile and click on the floppy disk icon.

After that, in the “Save as profile” drop-down menu, select “Auto-generated passwords” and click OK to overwrite the profile template.

Hotkeys. The universal combination for calling the KeePass window from any application is Ctrl+Alt+K. If you then click Insert, KeePass will proceed to create new entry in the password database:

Reminder about expired passwords. At the bottom of this window, set (if desired) a reminder about the need to change the password for the entry.


Later, in the Comments field, I recommend adding the URL for changing the password on the site - it will come in handy.
Now let's teach KeePass to show reminders about expired passwords when the program starts. To do this we go to

Tools → Settings → Advanced → After opening the password database, show expired entries.

Ability to attach files to posts. Yes exactly! On the Additional tab, you can attach any files to the entry, which will be encrypted and saved along with other data in the password database. This function can be used in many ways...

History of password changes. KeePass stores a history of changes for each separate entry. It can be extremely important to find out what password was previously used or how long ago it was changed. This, as well as restoring the old password, is available on the History tab.

Ways to automate password entry on websites

Let's move on to the most interesting part. How to make entering passwords as easy as possible? There are several options for this.

1) Auto dial. With this feature, KeePass can automatically fill in login and password fields on websites. To do this, just place the cursor on the login input field and press the key combination for AutoDial (by default, Ctrl+Alt+A). I bound the combination Ctrl+Alt+A to one of the mouse buttons, which made using this function even easier.

Autodial templates. Autodialing works according to a specific algorithm that can be changed. The default AutoDial template looks like

(UserName)(TAB)(Password)(ENTER)

(i.e. KeePass enters the login on the site → presses TAB to go to the password field → enters the password → presses ENTER).
But this pattern is not universal. For example, sometimes it is necessary to check a checkbox like “Remember me on this computer.” Then you need to create a new template or change the current one to

(UserName)(TAB)(Password)(TAB) (ENTER)

(the second TAB will move to the checkbox, and Space will put the necessary checkmark).

We simplify setting AutoDial parameters. In order not to manually change the template for each entry, you can use the following life hack: create several groups of entries inside the database with different AutoDial rights (for example, I have “Standard”, “With a checkbox” and “Without Enter” in the screenshot below):


The fact is that by default, entries in KeePass inherit the AutoDial settings from their group. Therefore, in the future, it is enough to simply drag the entry into the desired group so that the appropriate AutoDial parameters are assigned to it.

Different sequences for different windows. It also happens that different pages on the same site, data is entered in different sequences. For example, on one of them you need to check a checkbox, on the other not. On the AutoDial tab for each entry, you can select the current window from the drop-down list and, in a couple of clicks, specify individual AutoDial parameters for it.

Several accounts on one site. If you have several accounts on the site, then when you press Ctrl+Alt+A KeePass prompts you to make a choice (example for the site in the screenshot)


Pros and cons of Autodial. For AutoDial to work correctly, no auxiliary plugins are required for integration with the browser. Autodialer works in any browser and application. The browser doesn't know anything about KeePass at all. The main disadvantage is its vulnerability to keyloggers. But this problem can be solved with...

Double complication of AutoDial. This feature disables the use of standard keyloggers. The keylogger can "see" the Ctrl-V press, but cannot log the actual content being pasted from the clipboard. Because the this function does not work with all target windows, the developer has removed the ability to enable it by default. So Double Complication must be enabled for each specific entry on the AutoDial tab.

We make it easy to quickly search. There are other methods for entering passwords. After all, you may not always be able or want to use AutoDial. But before we get to them, let's set two useful settings for this. To do this we go to

Tools → Settings → Appearance

and simplify our search in our password database this way:


2) Double click on the entry. To enter data using this method, you need to find and select the record you are going to use and double-click on one of its fields.

Depending on which field you clicked, KeePass will do the following:

• Title: opens a window for editing this entry;
• Name: Copies the username to the clipboard;
• Password: copies the user's password to the clipboard;
• Link: will open the address it contains in the browser or copy it to the clipboard (the required option is set in the settings).

3) Drag&Drop. This is another way to enter data. Any field (name, password) of a KeePass record can be dragged and pasted into the windows of other programs and applications.

Sharing one password database and backup

Sharing. No more transferring passwords via ICQ or e-mail! KeePass can be configured for comfortable collaboration. Here's how I implemented it using Dropbox:

1. Create a folder inside Dropbox.
2. Share it through the menu right button mouse, enter the email of the employee(s).
3. In KeePass, we create a new password database and select its location in shared folder Dropbox.
4. We transfer to other users the Main Password, the Key File and the recommendations outlined above in the advice “Automatically saving the database after changes.”
   By the way, this example is the easiest way to understand the usefulness of the Key File: the database itself is located in the cloud, but the Key File is only on users’ computers. So theoretically, even access to your Dropbox will not help the attacker.

When attempting to save a shared database, KeePass first checks to see if the file on disk has been modified since it was loaded. If yes, then KeePass asks whether to sync, overwrite, or leave it unchanged (see screenshot).


Backup. Archived for the password database and key file. I'm using a combination of cloud storage+ backup program Genie Timeline, which I’m talking about. It’s set up like this: I just insert the flash drive into the computer, Genie immediately starts making backups, after which I take out the flash drive. Bingo!
Whatever type of backup you use, Necessarily Check if the saved database can be opened on another computer.

Each user of the global network has to remember dozens of logins and passwords for various sites. Of course, some people make do with one code for all occasions, but this is, at a minimum, unsafe.

But there is another option - to use a special password storage KeePassX. With help this application you will be able to collect all passwords into one secure database and retrieve them from there whenever possible. So, let's figure out how to use KeePass and how to install the program on different operating systems?

KeePass password manager is universal application, which is available on different operating systems. This number includes both desktop operating systems Linux, Windows, MasOS, and its mobile variations.

Installation on Linux is done regular means or through the terminal. In the latter case, you need to open command line and enter sudo apt-get keepassx. To install an application on Ubuntu, Linux Mint and other distributions based on Debian or Ubuntu, there is no need to connect third-party repositories.

To install the program on Windows and MacOS, you need to go to the official website and download the installation package for your OS.

In the installation wizard, you will need to go through the standard steps - selecting the directory where the program files will be stored, as well as creating a shortcut on the desktop.

Russification of KeePassX

But how to Russify KeePassX? More old version the program required additional installation language packs, and the option with the “X” prefix already supports the Russian language. If during installation you accidentally selected the wrong option, then you need to go to the menu "Tools" and select here "Settings". On the main tab you will find the Language item, where you will need to set the Russian language as the default.

How to use KeePassX?

1. Create a password vault

Setting up KeePass begins with creating a storage location where all passwords will be stored. To do this, in the main program window go to the menu "Vault" and select the item "New Storage".

Next, a window will appear in front of us in which we need to set a master password that will be used to access the saved database. Remember that the security of your data depends on its complexity, so when creating it, be sure to choose an option with mixed case letters, numbers and, preferably, that they are not combined with significant dates in your life and do not have name abbreviations.

To enhance protection, you can also connect a key file. You can choose your own Text Document or generate a new one. When you have completed operations with passwords, click "OK".

Our next step is to save the storage to a file so that you can save it and transfer it to another device at any time. Go to the menu again "Vault" and select "Save storage", then specify the path where the file will be stored and give it a name.

2. Saving your KeePassX password

To add a new password to the database, you must click on the corresponding icon in the main program window or go to the menu "Records" and select item "Add new entry".

In the window that appears, set the name of the entry and enter all the necessary data, such as login, password and link to the site. Here you can change the recording icon, as well as set the duration during which the entered data can be used.

3. Use of passwords

So, we've learned how to create notes, but now it's time to learn how to use them. There are a lot of options here, among which the user can choose the most convenient one.

Open the site where you want to log in. You can do this directly from KeePassX using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+U or through context menu- paragraph "Open URL". You can simply enter the link in your browser.

Next, copy the username using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + B or select the corresponding item in the context menu. Paste the copied data into the login field on the site. Repeat the same operation with the password, only here the combination Ctrl + C is used.

Another option is to use auto-input. To do this, open the required site in your browser or through Ctrl+U, then in the KeePassX context menu, select “Carry out auto-input” or, after selecting the desired entry, press the combination Ctrl + V.

After this operation, all data will be automatically entered into special form on the website, and the user will only have to confirm the correctness of the login and password.

4. Grouping passwords

When the number of sites used is difficult to count on fingers, it is advisable to group entries in advance according to certain criteria. To do this, go to the menu item "Groups" and select "Add group", then enter the name of the category and confirm all actions with the button "OK".

You can also add a group to KeePassX through the context menu right in the main program window. It is worth noting that when you delete a category, all folders will automatically move to the trash, which will be created automatically.

5. Restore and export storage

KeePassX users can export any storage to a CSV file, which is supported by many other programs as well mobile devices. To do this, go to the menu "Vault" and select "Export to CSV file» . Importing a previously saved recording is done through the same menu, but you need to select the appropriate item. KeePass is synchronized with the database either manually or automatically. In the latter case, you need to go to the program settings and choose the most convenient option for yourself.

conclusions

In this article we looked at how to use KeePass. This is a convenient password storage that has an automatic filling function, as well as the ability to export the database to a separate file. All data is stored encrypted directly on your computer, and if necessary, it can be moved using a removable drive.

Everyone who has to deal with the Internet, whether for work or entertainment, sooner or later comes to the need in some way store passwords for websites. In this case, all stages of storage are passed through. At the beginning, passwords are stored in the form separate files without a specific location. Then, after losing several of them, the passwords are stored in one file, usually a text file. And when the number of passwords exceeds several dozen and they become more and more important, the understanding comes that they cannot be stored in this form and it’s time to look for a program for storing passwords. But you don’t have to do this - such a program has already been found, and it’s called KeePass

Description of KeyPass

KeePass (full name - KeePass Password Safe) - free program for storing passwords, developed by Dominik Reichl for operating system Windows. KeePass supports Advanced Encryption Standard (AES, Rijndael) and Twofish algorithms to encrypt its database passwords. It is possible to export the database to TXT, HTML, XML and CSV formats, as well as import it from many different formats.
As you can see, Kipass has a lot of advantages - it’s free, open source, high degree data protection and portability. KeePass can be carried on a flash drive and you can use your passwords in a wide variety of places. And Advanced Encryption Standard password encryption algorithms are the most reliable in the world - banks use them in their work. So you don’t have to worry about the safety of your data. Among other things, the KeePass project is actively developing, which guarantees the release of new versions.
Let's quickly download KeePass and begin a closer acquaintance with this wonderful program. An overview of all its capabilities is not included in the scope of this article, but we will learn how to configure and work with it.

Installation

At the time of writing, there are two versions of the program: 1.17 and 2.10. They differ from each other - 2.10 is more advanced in terms of features and amenities. For me, for example, the ability to synchronize data in this version is very important, since I have 3 copies of Kipass: at home, at work and on a flash drive. It is clear that the data on them should be the same, and when changing (adding) the password, I do not need to go into each of the programs - I use synchronization and that’s it last changes automatically transferred to another copy of the program. Great, you agree. But for version 2.10, the computer must have Microsoft library.NET Framework higher than version 2.0.

Version 1.17 is also working and supported, it just has fewer features. It does not require additional libraries to operate and is guaranteed to run on any computer. The appearance of both versions is no different.

Since the Microsoft .NET Framework is free and installed by default in Vista, we will download the portable version 2.10.

You can download the program from the official website; the Russian language module will have to be downloaded separately. Let's go to the KeePass website. Click on the link “Portable KeePass 2.10 (ZIP Package)” and on the next page wait for the download to begin. If it doesn’t start, click the “direct link” and download the archive.

Regardless of the download option, we will receive an archive that needs to be unpacked. Since this is a portable version of KeePass, the installation is complete. The folder with the program itself can be placed on any drive except the system drive (usually drive “C”). Thus, if the system crashes and then reinstalls Windows passwords will remain untouched.

Russification

Download the Russian translation file for your version of the program in the section, unpack it and drop the file with the extension “.lngx” into the root folder of the program.

We work with KeePass

Let's start work. Click KeePass.exe to launch KeePass. Now we need to activate our installed module Russian language. Go to View->Change language and change the language to Russian.

The program will close and then start again with the Russian interface. The next step is to create a new database file in which our passwords will be stored. Click on the leaf icon and in the window that opens, indicate the name and location of the file. Choose the name yourself, but you need to place the file in the same folder as the program itself.

After specifying the storage location for the database file, a window will open in which you need to enter a password to access the database.

We come up with and enter a password. The longer it is, the more secure the database will be. Find a compromise that is long enough, contains at least letters and numbers, and is still easy to remember. Click OK and you will be taken to the next window where you don’t need to do anything. There are settings in its tabs, but they are quite suitable for work. After clicking OK it will be created new base data. It already contains some data that can be used for work.

Now let’s go to the “Tools->Settings” menu.

In the “Advanced” tab, check the “Automatically save when closing/locking the password database” checkbox. Now the database itself will be saved when the program is closed. Before creating new entries with passwords in the database, close the program and, launching it again, check the login. A password entry window will appear at the entrance.

Enter our password. By clicking on the square with three dots we will make the password visible - a very convenient thing. Then click OK and find yourself in a fully configured and ready-to-use program with an open database.

By clicking “Cancel” we will also open the program, but without opening the database.

How to add a new login and password to KeePass

Easily. To do this, select the group in which they will be located and add it through the “Edit->Add Entry” menu.

In our case, the entry will be added to the “General” group.
We will have to work frequently in the “Add Entry” window that opens, so let’s look at it in more detail.

There are no special problems when working with it - everything is clear from the names of the fields. In the “Name” field, enter a logical name for the entry. I usually name it by the site address without using “http” in the name. As a result, the records go to alphabetical order, which is very convenient. In “Name” we enter your login to enter the site, in “Password” - the password. In this case, the bar under this field will display the strength of the password. When creating a new entry, the program itself generates a password that you can use. We will enter yours, remembering to click on the button with three dots when entering it. We repeat the password.

We will now move to the Comments field. It is not necessary to fill out, but in practice it is difficult to do without it - there will always be information that can be entered into it. When working with a plastic card, I keep all its details in it - from the number and CVV code, to secret question, addresses and passport details. This way, all data is at your fingertips. Click OK and the entry we created will appear in the “General” section.

Features of working in KeePass

The program is quite convenient to work with. The basis for the work is a string with a record. As we can see, it consists of the values ​​of the fields we entered: title, name, link password and comment.

On each of them, by clicking the mouse twice, we will get the result. Clicking on the title will open a window for editing the entry. Double-clicking on the rest (except for the field with a link) will copy the contents into memory for 12 seconds, after which the memory will be cleared. This way, you don’t have to worry that an important password will hang in your computer’s memory after you close KeePass.

Let's see what the entrance to the site will look like. Click on the area with the link - the site opens. We click on the area of ​​the line with the name - the login is copied into memory. Go to the site and paste it. Returning to Kipass, click on the area with the password, which will be copied into memory. Going back to the site, paste it into the appropriate field. That's all.

As already mentioned, records are easier to find when they are arranged in alphabetical order. To do this, in the drop-down menu you need to go to “Order” and select “Sort by user name”.

How to synchronize KeePass databases

If you have more than one copy of the program, then you need to somehow synchronize the data in them. You can’t go through each record and check it with the record of another copy, right. Luckily, KeePass makes this process very easy. Go to the menu “File->Synchronization->Synchronize with file” and in the window that opens, specify the database file of another instance of the program. By double-clicking on it, or clicking the “Open” button, we synchronize both databases - after this process, the databases will become identical. At the same time, the novelty of the database is not determined by its time last update, but for each specific record.

Of course, most of the KeePass settings are not covered in this short tutorial. But believe me, those minor changes, which we made together with the default settings are quite suitable for work. If you have an irresistible desire to delve into other settings of the program - good for you. Just remember to do this backup copy program by copying its entire folder to a safe place.

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