Moving the data file location
Sorry if this has been asked / answered before, but all the searches I've done here and on Google result in the "wrong" results.
My understanding is that 1Password 4 / Mac stores the datafiles in ~/Library/Application Support/1Password 4/Data. Furthermore, this can be "synced" to DropBox or an alternate folder, but the data file is still there. It's just copied as necessary to keep things in sync.
I don't want this.
I want to MOVE the datafile to an alternate location. Specifically, I want it inside a TrueCrypt partition. This is how we've been keeping our KeePass secure and backed up but we'd like to migrate to 1Password primarily for the Mac support.
To be absolutely clear, I do not want a copy of the 1Password data file anywhere outside of my TrueCrypt partition.
There doesn't appear to be any setting within the Preferences for relocating this. Am I missing something?
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Hi @jq5073,
Unfortunately, your primary datafile cannot be moved. With 1Password 3 we saw many issues arising from users choosing custom locations for their data - including some that were on removable drives or have the potential to become disconnected or unavailable. In 1Password 4 we set a standard location for the primary data file so that it would always be exactly where the main app and 1Password Mini need to find it. This makes syncing and backing up your data a much smoother (and more reliable) process.
I am so glad you are thinking strongly about the security of your data though - thats what we like to see! I'd like to draw your attention to a few of our security articles that discuss the design of our data format and the security measures that we have gone to to ensure that your data is well-protected, wherever you store it.
http://learn.agilebits.com/1Password4/Security/keychain-design.html
Also, you can check out our blog for many more articles that go into the nitty gritty math behind what makes 1Password so secure.
http://blog.agilebits.com/tag/cryptography_/
Essentially, the best way to protect your data is with a strong and unique Master Password. Our article Towards Better Master Passwords discusses how to create tough-to-crack but easy-to-remember passwords to protect your data.
I hope this helps, but we're here if you have any further questions!
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Bummer. That's pretty much a show-stopper for 1PW4.
Can 1PW3 still be downloaded anywhere?
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Hi, @jq5073.
I can't guarantee it'll work properly, but have you tried creating a "1Password 4" folder inside a TrueCrypt partition and creating a symbolic link from ~/Library/Application Support/1Password 4 to it?
Older versions of 1Password, including 1P3, can be downloaded from here:
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Dear Megan - please reconsider and let users choose custom locations for their data! "Essentially, the best way to protect your data is with a strong and unique Master Password." - yes - that's correct but you eleminated the feature of "deniability" which is very important for whistleblowers and many people in totalitarian countries. You can be forced to give your fantastic password but you can't if there isn't any data file on your computer. We have been assisting professional investigative journalists and all of them dropped 1password 4 because they could no longer decide where to store their data.
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I'd like to make one minor correction to your original characterization of the situation. The SQLite data file is never synched itself. It is a local data format. For synching 1Password does a sort of "export" to either an Agile Keychain format or a 1Password 4 Cloud Keychain Format, which is then used for synching.
One thing we found with 1Password 3 is that the data format we designed for synching (the Agile Keychain Format) was not very well suited for efficient usage locally. We had to build a whole bunch of local caches, because constantly reading the Agile Keychain Format was just not efficient enough. It also is the reason why in 1Password 3, we insisted that the data live on a local native filesystem.
In 1Password 4 for Mac, we've split things. We have a local format (SQLite) that you see, which is designed for efficient local use. It has the same cryptographic structure as was Megan pointed out. Nobody is going to get any information out of it without your Master Password. For synching, 1Password 4 sort of "exports" from that local data to either Agile Keychain Format data or 1Password 4 Cloud Keychain Format data, which are designed so that they can reside on non-native, non-local filesystems. I'll come back to the significance of all this below.
Officially we have to tell people not to mess with their Data folder. That is, we can't promise what will or won't happen if 1Password doesn't find what it expects there. However, with that in mind, how familiar are you with Unix symbolic links? I'm not going to give you step by step instructions, because only people who are comfortable with Unix symbolic links should consider such a thing. (And they should think twice before doing so). If you do pull such an (unsupported) trick with your Data directory, be advised based on what I said above that the SQLite data is designed to be local. Any volume that it resides on must be fast and reliable.
I would also recommend that you consider FileVault 2 as an alternative to TrueCrypt if it meets your particular security goals.
You have to make your own security choices. And if absolutely refuse to have your 1Password data on your local disk and if the symbolic link trick fails (as it might), then I do understand (though disagree) your assessment, and wish you the best with whatever solution you find.
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