Is there an alternative to Master Password ?

mihaicph
mihaicph
Community Member
in Mac

Hi,
Is there an another way to secure open up the vault instead of using the Master Password such as :

  • USB Security key
  • Authenticate through iOS App

/mihaicph

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Comments

  • danco
    danco
    Volunteer Moderator

    NO.

    You may be able to use Touch ID (depending on your device) but from time to time you will have to enter the Master Password, you can't get rid of it completely.

    If you forget your master password you will not be able to do anything but start again.

  • Lars
    Lars
    1Password Alumni

    Welcome to the forum, @mihaicph! Thanks for the question. The answer, as @danco has already mentioned, is no. It's an understandable question, as there's a lot of press these days about hardware keys and things like two-factor authentication. Those tools have their place, but they are fundamentally different from the heart of what 1Password does, which is encryption.

    Even things like Touch ID or Face ID (on Apple products) don't replace the need to remember your Master Password; they merely allow you to authorize us to store a key in the Secure Enclave of your device temporarily. The first time that Touch (or Face) ID crashes, however? Or when you upgrade the OS? You'll be required to sign in again with your Master Password, which is what is used to derive the encryption keys which transform your data from unreadable ciphertext into your actual data.

  • mihaicph
    mihaicph
    Community Member
    edited September 2018

    @Lars @danco thank you for your answers.

    So i understand, from a user perspective it's easier to use an USB key to authorize the store of the key in the Secure Enclave of my device which in my case is on Windows / Mac because on iOS i can use FaceID which i am happy with. The whole point is to make it easier for me to get to my passwords so i don't have to type in the password. That's all there is to it.

    I am not stating to get rid of the master password because i understand it's needed but merely to make it much more rare to have the need to type it.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni
    edited September 2018

    So i understand, from a user perspective it's easier to use an USB key to authorize the store of the key in the Secure Enclave of my device which in my case is on Windows / Mac because on iOS i can use FaceID which i am happy with.

    @mihaicph: I...don't think so. As far as I'm aware from Apple's developer sessions and documentation, the Secure Enclave is not accessible to something like a USB dongle. Also, the Secure Enclave only exists on recent Macs and iOS devices, not PCs. However, there's nothing stopping you from saving your Master Password to something like a Yubikey to have it enter it for you. It's not something we'd generally recommend, except perhaps as a backup mechanism, stored inside a literal bank vault for an emergency. But that's been possible for something like a decade now. It's just risky because not entering the Master Password regularly makes it easier to forget, and having it stored somewhere other than your brain means it could be stolen from you. Food for thought.

    The whole point is to make it easier for me to get to my passwords so i don't have to type in the password. That's all there is to it. I am not stating to get rid of the master password because i understand it's needed but merely to make it much more rare to have the need to type it.

    Thanks for clarifying. That makes me feel much better! Can you walk me through how you're needing to enter your Master Password frequently? It sounds like you probably just need to tweak 1Password's security settings to better fit your workflow. There's a lot you can do that wouldn't require getting rid of the Master Password altogether (which isn't possible, and you've said isn't your goal anyway). Thanks in advance! :)

  • Ben
    Ben

    Just to add to what Brenty said here: how frequently you are required to enter your Master Password can be adjusted. We do recommend requiring yourself to type it with some regularity because doing so builds muscle memory and helps ensure you remember it (which is critical as has been mentioned). We, unfortunately, have some customers who’ve forgotten that they even have a Master Password, or that they ever set one. They’ll argue with us vehemently that they’ve never used one. That of course isn’t possible, it’s just a matter of having forgotten. It’s a tough spot to be in.

    In any event, you can adjust the frequency here:

    • iOS: 1Password > Settings > Security (and 1Password > Settings > Advanced > Security > Require Master Password)
    • Mac: 1Password > Preferences > Security
    • Windows: 1Password > Settings > Security

    On Mac & iOS you can use Touch ID, and on Windows you can use Windows Hello.

    I hope that helps!

    Ben

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