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Roboform - a great password manager

Written by Marco Conti Sunday, 09 November 2008 12:24

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A must have for web developers and anyone that makes a living on the web. I have been using Roboform (RF) for over 5 years now. I can frankly say that without it I could not run my business at all.

Roboform is a password reminder program, similar in scope to what most browsers already offer. it will remember your passwords and log you in automatically.

But it's much more than that.

Roboform Main feature is, of course, it's Username/password reminding abilities. Over the years the creators have managed to make it as inconspicuous as possible and they have continuously refined its abilities.

 

Let's see what those are:

Username and password reminding: It's core ability, RF will ask you to save any new form you fill for future reference. Each new user/pass set is saved as a file on your drive and can be organized in folders and subfolders like any other file.

Master Password: The user can set a master password to open RF. Without it, all of RF files are protected with 128 bit encryption if your Master Password is shorter than 32 characters. Longer Master Passwords will generate encryption for up to 256 bits.

One Click form filling: This is one of the most useful features of RF. Set up one or more profiles for yourself and watch as RF fills even very complicated web forms in an instant. I use this feature not only for my own forms, but I find it invaluable for testing my websites. For instance, I have created a "Test User" identity and I can register and log in into shopping carts and community websites I created in a matter of seconds for testing purposes.

Multiple Users/Profiles: RF allows you to set multiple users and profiles. So for instance you can keep your work and personal files completely separate by creating separate users. Within a user you can create multiple profiles to use as needed. Also RF keeps all your bank and credit card information, addresses, telephone numbers, even Social Security and DL numbers, safe and protected.

Anti-Phishing, anti-keylogger: This is one of the great unsung features of the program. Because the data you enter is never typed it can never be captured by key-loggers and RF will always recognize when you are entering data in the wrong website. It has saved me some embarrassing faux pas over the years and I am a so called expert.

Portability and Backup: RF files are easy to take with you on a USB key and they can be backed up like any other file. You'll never leave home without your passwords again. They even have telephone based versions of the program (but I have not used them).

Works on IE and Firefox: Roboform is a toolbar based program so it does not require the user to launch a separate application. It works on Firefox and IE for Windows but there isn't a Mac version available. I wish there was.

Bookmark manager, Contact Manager: RF makes an excellent bookmark manager and it's even a very fair contact manager. In fact it can import your contacts from a variety of sources and if you own the USB key version you can take those contacts with you.

Password generator: RF can generate secure custom password directly from the toolbar. I use this feature a lot and I find it invaluable.

Roboform for the web developer or website owner

While the password reminding features and profile management are the main benefits of the application, for those of us that have to manage multiple sensitive information and have the need to share them with out clients or employees, RF really shines.

For instance, beside the password files, RF also has so called "SafeNotes", plain text files that are saved and encrypted just like the passwords and that can be managed in the same way.

When I start working with a new client, I make a point of logging all the client's information, server, passwords, database name, receipts and any sensitive data into a SafeNote. When I am ready to share the data with the client, we agree on a common password (one different from either mine or theirs) and I send the SafeNote to them via email directly from RF.

Security policies management: If your website or business needs frequent password changes, RF can be an invaluable addition to your security policies. A single person can generate new password for an entire office and send them to others in a bulk email. In turn the users will only need to drop the password file into their RoboForm folder (usually located in "My documents/My roboform files") and start using their new password. This alone is worth the price of admission for some folks.

What's not so good

One of the complaints I get most often about RoboForm is that it tends to "pester" the user with password reminders. I am not sure I would classify this among the negatives, it is its job after all, but I found that with a bit of familiarity it's very easy to simply hit "cancel" whenever an RF window pops up that's not needed. For instance, if you have multiple points of entry into a website, RF will treat each as a unique page (as indeed they are) and suggest that the user saves it.

I believe that a more "intelligent" approach would be nice. A switch to establish that the same user/pass combo is to be used for a given website, but I consider this a very small shortcoming compared to the big picture of what this program can do.

More annoying is the fact it works only on Windows. A Mac and Unix version would be most welcome and make the program much more useful for someone like me.

RF can be a bit complex at the beginning and since your average Internet user has the attention span of a 5 year old, that can be a negative. It's not difficult to use but it does add a layer of initial work to your routine. Everyone that has used it has fallen in love with it though. My wife could not be bothered with using it until she started looking for a new job. At that point, the form filling alone made her a believer. She was able to apply and respond to many more postings than if she didn't use RoboForm. She is now a fan.

Conclusion

Roboform is certainly worth the $30 price tag. The free version will limit the user to 10 entries (be them contacts, passwords, SafeNotes or profiles) and while it is nice to test the program's features it is fairly useless. Add the USB/Portable version for only $10 more and it will change the way you work if you are a road warrior of any kind.

The learning curve is reasonable and RF can be set to disrupt your workflow to a minimum (although it will limit its usefulness). Lack of Mac OS support will limit its usefulness in mixed environment.

All in all, I recommend RoboForm to anyone that has to manage more than 10 sets of passwords *(which these days is all of us). While there are free and Open Source equivalents available, none has quite the same features and easy integration. The price is reasonable and bulk licensing available.

Get Roboform from www.roboform.com

Rating 5 stars out of 5