Use Launchbar to access securely stored passwords

Jan 28, '04 10:33:00AM

Contributed by: henry

After searching MacUpdate for password/serial storage apps and trying various free apps, I realised that none of them work the way I want. But then I recalled that LaunchBar can index plain text files. By storing the plain text files on an encrypted disk image they're kept safe (when you're not logged in).

  1. Save your passwords, serials or whatever in individual text files. I have files with names like "Amazon", "eBay" and "Mastercard". Each file contains the relevant info for that account or card.
  2. Create a new encrypted disk image in Disk Utility. I set the size to 2.5MB, selected AES-128 for encryption (why is that the only option?) and left the format as regular read/write. When prompted to set a password for the disk image make sure you opt to save the password in your keychain.
  3. Now add the .dmg file to your startup items (in your "Accounts" preferences). Because you added the disk image password to your keychain, it will mount automatically when you log in.
  4. Make sure the disk image is mounted before proceeding. In the LaunchBar configuration window, add a new custom type in the "Setup" pane. Set the location as the mounted disk image, and set the "Scan Type" to "Text Files" (the second from bottom option on my setup).
  5. Once this new location is indexed by LaunchBar, you can hit Cmd-Space, type the password you're looking for and hit enter.

Can anyone who's better informed on such things comment on how secure this is? Obviously the files are accessible when you're logged in, but how secure are they at other times? "AES-128" suggests 128 bit encryption, which seems a little weak to me, but I accept that I'm no expert.

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