Review of my1login, a cloud-based password manager
With the increase in the popularity of cloud based systems, so many password managers have come in the market. This article reviews one such cloud based password manager called my1login. Refer to the article for registration process, features and pricing details.
With the rapid growth of technology, cloud has replaced client computers. As long as you have access to internet, you can create, store and share any amount of data from any system, from any part of the world.
As online cyber-attacks like phishing and sniffing are common these days, using different passwords for different accounts is advisable but how many times are you able to recall all the passwords for the numerous websites and applications you use on internet? We all have forgotten our multiple usernames and passwords at some time or the other.
This made me search for a password manager and I came across the cloud based, my1login. It offers a highly secure portal site where your usernames & passwords are managed. You can anytime see all your emails, messages, social networking information and it's all free.
The very user-friendly my1login works on any operating system. The browser you use must support bookmarks and Javascript. The Bookmarklet feature for adding bookmarks contains Javascript code so some browsers like Internet Explorer raise security alerts when you install and drop the feature into the bookmarks bar of the browser.Registration
To use the service, you don't need to download any software. Just visit the website and sign up to register your account. You can use a 14 day free trial first and then purchase the pro version if you like my1login.
Within seconds, you will receive a notification email to verify your email account. Click on the link given in the email and you will be asked to choose your security key phrase. If you click on 'show keys', the screen will display the key phrase you have entered. The key phrase will be used in decrypting the passwords you store. The key will exist in a temporary memory space only and at times of delayed inactivity, the session will time-out.
Now, every time you want to login to your account, instead of entering the password, you will be asked to enter three random positions of the characters in the password. Though this part can be a bit complex as you will have to count the characters in your password each time and then fill the positions but this is again to ensure the online security by thwarting off key loggers.
How to store usernames & passwords?
First, install and add the Bookmarklet feature into the bookmarks bar of the browser. Now, whenever you want to add a login, click on Bookmarklet. An interface screen will appear. Enter your username and password and they will be stored in my1login. Next time you visit the website, just click on the login added in Bookmarklet and the account will open without typing the username and password again. You can also import usernames & passwords from CSV files or other password managers like Clipperz, Keepass and RoboForm.
Users can view a summary of emails and notifications on social networking sites in bookmarks itself. Note the 'i' icon on the top right of the image. If this icon is missing from your login page, you have probably duped yourself into a fraudulent copy of the website.
Features of my1login
The latest mails on your email account or the notifications on social networking sites are displayed on the login page. If you use the Pro edition, you can add feeds for SMTP/POP3 email accounts and post replies to the emails & messages on social networking sites.
Users can even share their bookmarks online. For this, select the bookmark you want to share, type the recipient's email address in the box and turn on the read & write access so that the recipient can not only view but also edit the password details if required. However, the recipient must also open an account on my1login to do so. The sender gets a notification mail when the recipient receives the bookmark.What makes my1login secure?
Military encryption- All the internet communication between the client and the website should be ideally protected by Security Sockets Layer (SSL) or TSL encryption. In military encryption, the data is secured not only by SSL but also AES 256 bit and RSA encryptions. Your password is protected by a custom phrase which also has an onscreen keyboard alternative so that a keylogger can't guess it. Because of such strong encryption, even my1login can't see the users' logins.
Unique authentication - Instead entering the password, one has to enter three positions of the character from the password. Since, these positions are random, the approach is more effective in thwarting keyloggers or keystroke logging malware.
Password rating reports - The software rates the strength of your password each time you edit or add a new bookmark and presents it as a report. This helps you to generate unique and strong passwords each time.
Password generators like Last pass allow users to create broader passwords including pronounceable and similar character passwords. Even the password reports are fuller. my1login, on the other hand, is limited in this aspect.Available versions & pricing
my1login comes in two versions. Both the personal and the business versions are free for storing 15 logins. The business version is free for only 3 users and has a much simpler, web2.0 look. It allows users to create workgroups and share credentials with colleagues. You need to create two different accounts to use both versions.
If you want to store unlimited logins or want more user-base for the business version, you will have to purchase the Pro version. This comes for a monthly fee of $2.5 or you can save $6 by opting for an annual fee of $24. The benefits of Pro account include freedom from advertisements and affiliate links.Verdict
my1login is not as automated as RoboForm Everywhere and LastPass 2.0. One has to store the passwords manually as local client or browser plug-ins are not installed. But the benefit of this is that my1login works on almost all browsers and operating systems. The service lacks a bit in features as like LastPass and other password managers, it does not fill web-forms and focuses only on password protection. The price is also almost twice that of most password managers. What makes my1login stand out in the crowd is its ability to aggregate all the emails and social networking sites updates on your bookmark page. From one single portal site, you can view the messages coming from different accounts as well as reply to them. If you are an avid Facebook or Twitter user and want to save time, you must at least try the free version of this convenient option.
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