Lost iPhone - hypothetical scenario

dojy

Hi,

I've been using 1Password for a few weeks now, and absolutely love it.

However, being the eternal pessimist, I am wondering what would happen in a certain scenario (one which has happened to me before).

Let's say I'm abroad, and my bag gets stolen which has my iPhone, passport and wallet in there.

I need to log onto my e-mail account to contact my flight company, perhaps retrieve a scanned copy of my passport or maybe log onto my internet banking to move funds or report a card stolen etc.

However, I no longer memorise any of my passwords (apart from my 1Password master password).

Is there anything I would be able to do in this scenario to retrieve any of my passwords and/or login details from 1Password?

Thanks,
Jody

Stephen_C

I guess we all have different solutions for that sort of problem. Some people use Dropbox plus 1Password Anywhere. Others rely on iCloud plus an iPad (admittedly relying on that not getting stolen too!).

I sync between my Mac, iPhone and iPad and have Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner backups of the Mac. That won't help me on holiday if everything gets stolen but at least I know I can retrieve everything once I have access to my Mac back at home. When on holiday I usually try to ensure that the iPhone and the iPad are not left together at any time (unless I'm in the room with them). By that I mean I'll have the phone in my pocket and the iPad in my bag when travelling. If the jacket and phone are stolen I still have the iPad. If the bag and iPad are stolen I still have the phone.

It's sometimes worth being able to memorise a few passwords (master password, Dropbox, iCloud, for example) and it's a good idea to use a Diceware pass phrase for those, because those are easier to remember.

It's clearly quite possible to get paranoid about this sort thing. Although it's right to think about it I try not to let it spoil my holidays! :)

Stephen

hawkmoth

Most people here seem to believe that you need to remember more than just one password. I memorized my email, Dropbox, and Apple ID passwords, for example. The first two I've learned in order to be sure I don't get completely isolated from the tools I'd need if 1Password were suddenly unavailable to me. I remember my Apple ID password because I need to enter it often and 1Password can't autofill it most times, since I seldom need it in a web browser.

dojy

Hi,

Thanks for both of your responses.

It sounds like I probably need to memorise more than one password!

I will consider 1Password Anywhere, but my Sync Service is currently iCloud.

The Diceware method sounds interesting, so maybe I'll give that a go.

I have a pretty good memory, but my biggest concern with memorising passwords is that we are supposed to change them regularly. Incrementing a digit here or there doesn't seem like the most secure way to go.

Or do people tend not to change their passwords if they have a strong password / passphrase?

Thanks,
Jody

Drew_AG

Hi @dojy,

I'm glad the suggestions from Stephen_C and hawkmoth were helpful for you! :)

do people tend not to change their passwords if they have a strong password / passphrase?

This depends a bit on what password you're referring to. Do you mean your Master Password for 1Password? Or are you talking about passwords for websites or services (such as Dropbox or iCloud)?

If you're asking about your Master Password, we recommend picking a good Master Password when you first set up 1Password, and then never changing it (unless your Master Password is weak or used elsewhere).

As for a password for another online site/service, if you chose a unique and strong password for it, you shouldn't need to change it on a regular basis. Of course, there's always the chance a website will ask their users to change their passwords for one reason or another. If so, you're correct that simply changing one or two characters isn't the most secure way to go (you'd want to choose a new, unique, strong password to replace the old one). If it happens to be something that you'd like to memorize, a Diceware pass phrase will be helpful.

If you have more questions, we're here for you!

dojy

Hi Drew,

Thanks for your reply. I suppose I was talking about all passwords, really, so the info you have provided is really helpful.

Thanks again,
Jody

Winnie

Awesome question @dojy and great answers! Glad this helped.

Gotta change some passwords to Diceware ones and memorize them as well now before traveling again :) Thanks for the reminder!

cdenesha

I like the first two answers as well! Too bad I don't see a way of Liking them.

I do not have time to refresh my memory regarding Diceware passwords this minute, but I thought they were NOT good to use for services that are vulnerable to offline attacks (i.e. anywhere the algorithm doesn't not slow down the attack) as the components have been added to all the dictionaries. Thus, no web passwords.

My plan is to finally change my Master Password to a Diceware password but use strong, easy to remember, perhaps pronounceable passwords for Dropbox and Apple.

chris

Stephen_C

You may be interested (if you've not seen it already) in this knowledge base copy of a blog post called "Towards Better Master Passwords".

Stephen

ag_kevin

@cdenesha‌ has another good solution - memorize your master password, and the password where you store your 1Password file (e.g. drop box). Or, if travelling with a companion you trust (e.g. a spouse), setup a shared vault and put your passport and travel account information in the shared vault. You have a little redundancy in that case.