Worst case

safety1

what would one do if their master password and computer were stolen and they either did not have another device to change the master password or whom ever stole it has already changed it?

littlebobbytables

Hi @safety1,

Your vault exists only on either machine and devices where you run 1Password unless you specifically set up cloud syncing through either iCloud or Dropbox.

• Say you have 1Password on a single computer with no syncing or external backups and that machine is no longer in your possession for whatever reason. In this instance your vault is completely lost. If the person who possesses your machine also has your Master Password and I assume your user account password then they can access your vault and everything inside.
• If the above situation happened but you also sync to iCloud or Dropbox with another machine. Then while you can erase the sync data and change your Master Password, if the person who possesses your machine also has your Master Password then they can still access the vault as it is on the machine at that point in time. You would be in a race against time to change passwords.

This is why we strongly encourage a strong Master Password and while you may want to plan for the point in time that any immediate family members may need access to your vault, that is best done with a will or safety deposit box or similar. I'm also going to link you to a blog post on Toward Better Master Passwords which you might find interesting and relevant.

Basically though, if you lose your vault and your Master Password is known then all bets are off - you do not want to be in this situation. It's pretty much like losing your bank card and your PIN being known, you know what is going to happen and it isn't pretty.

safety1

kind of thought that was the answer. Everything scares me of late. I have already put my master password in a safety deposit box. My password is super secure and would be very hard to crack. I do sync via iCloud and have a iPhone and iPad. i guess my concern was someone steals my phone when I had the 1P app open. I know i should probably tighten up my settings to lock on exit and auto lock after a very short time period. unfortunately when I'm home i some times change those settings for convenience. thanks

littlebobbytables

Hi @safety1,

Assuming you use a PIN or Touch ID on your iOS devices then you can use these to great effect. If Touch ID or PIN entry fails once it falls back on your Master Password. So you can adjust lock timers accordingly based on how easy it is to unlock using one of those. Should you ever be worried there is an option in 1Password's settings which you can find at Settings > Security > Lock Now which will force the use of the Master Password. It's the same as selecting the Enter Password option on the Touch ID screen but I mention the Lock Now feature as it isn't present on the PIN screen.

I hope that all helps.