Where/what is Password Assistant?

Question

Level 1

27 points

Where/what is Password Assistant?

In MtLion blurb about Gatekeeper, there's a paragraph about Password Assistant. Helps to make better passwords. Checked in Utilities folder, did a search, etc, can't find anything.

Does it automatically kick in when making a new password for something? Can it be used to convert exisiting passwords into a myriad of others?

(Basically, I have only have a couple of passwords for everything and have thought it might be better to have different passwords for every different thing. Then use "Autofill web forms" for User names and Passwords, and also to use "Keychain Access" to store the ones for which Autofill won't work (banks, etc) so that I don't forget them. Now, because I only use a couple for everything I don't forget them, but if a make new ones my brain won't cope!)

Anyone with the time to respond, thank you.

giles

Mac mini (Mid 2010), OS X Mountain Lion, Time Capsule 2TB

Posted on Jul 28, 2012 8:17 PM

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Answer 1

Therabyte

Level 4

1,075 points

Jul 28, 2012 8:30 PM in response to Giles Kent

There're several third party apps for that purpose, for example 1Password, that work across browsers and platforms.

"Password Assistant" is an internal OS X function used to generate passwords. There's one app with the same name that lets you use that functionality, but won't meet your expectations. That app is also third party and does not come bundled with OS X.

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Answer 2

Giles Kent Author

Level 1

27 points

Jul 31, 2012 3:06 AM in response to Therabyte

Thanks Therabyte for your response. In fact, I worked it out just after I wrote the question and mistakedly thought that unmarking it as a question within the allowed 15 minutes was going to stop it from being posted. But it got posted, which lead to you spending your time responding. Thanks for that. Mac people are great!

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Answer 3

Feb 7, 2013 10:04 PM in response to Giles Kent

I have almost the same problem. I suffer from a traumatic brain injury. I am interested in issues about my laptop, more than my phone. I have lost two laptops. Fortunately, someone else sees to my finances. I di not have anything on either to make ID thefts happy. Since I might lose this one, too. I do NOT want to store passwords electronically.

Don't they know this is a worse idea than letting us keep passwords we know? We will have to write down our passwords (bad security), or store them electronically (also discouraged by Internet security types).

How can we get exceptions to their new requirements? They could give us more security questions to answer, rather than forcing us to change passwords. We can remeber the answers to our security questions.

I have a post about this. try searching "tbi" as a keyword.

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Answer 4

ScoutX

Level 1

4 points

Jun 19, 2013 1:57 PM in response to Giles Kent

Giles, In Mountain Lion, if you open the Users and Groups pane in System Preferences and click on Change Password for your account, the Change Password dialog opens. Don't enter anything. Just click on the "key" tab to the right of the New Password field, and the Password Assistant opens.

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