I just keep my password manager password hidden in a journal
Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
121–130 of 243 posts
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#122[deleted]
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#123This kind of thing, widely implemented, would be a game-changer for dealing with assets after someone's death! I maintain my family's IT infrastructure (Google Enterprise admin, webserver etc) and I've been tempted to write down 1/4 of my password manager root password and give it to each of my family members - but then we run into the problem where if any one of them loses their shard, it's unrecoverable. Some kind…
There are much better systems for splitting data than just chunking it into N chunks, the most common is Shamir Secret Sharing[1] (the main benefit being that you can construct an M-of-N scheme easily and having N-1 shards provides you zero information about the secret). One word of caution -- a lot of software developers get enamored by the idea of information-theoretic security when they first run into it, but you eventually realise that useful applications of tools like SSS are actually quite rare.
Shameless plug: I wrote a project a few years ago to create PDF-based backups with sharded keys which would do exactly what I suspect you want[2], unfortunately I got stuck at the "make a nice UI for it" stage (everything works but it's just a CLI tool at the moment). I guess I should take a look at using an LLM for that these days... (I used this to store my password manager root password and necessary keys to pull and decrypt the encrypted backups of my server.)
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_secret_sharing [2]: https://github.com/cyphar/paperback/
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#124Low tech: I put my secret manager password in a physical journal that is locked in a fire proof, water proof vault and hidden somewhere only my partner and myself know where it is. I use a password manager. Everything else goes in the password manager.
This is what I do too, but be warned about “fire proof” - a fire that results in the total loss of your house will create enough heat for enough time that fireproof gun safes and smaller fireproof lockboxes will be destroyed, or even if not, their contents will get hot enough to combust anyway. A bank safe deposit box offers a different security profile that’s probably more robust against fire because banks burn less…
That inventory will be available for seizure by court order for any variety of reasons, and you won't ever know about it until it's too late.
Something you keep in your home that no one knows about won't be inventoried.
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#125sorry if i missed this question. how do you remember you have this vault?
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#126sorry if i missed this elsewhere: how do you remind yourself this vault exists? do you have to explain the whole thing to your 7 lifelines?
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#127Start treating the Future-You like a Stranger. Write for that stranger, your Future-You will thank you. We think we will remember, but we won’t. So, don’t be too harsh on yourself and make it easier for your future-you. If that stranger finds it easier, it will also be for others; your relatives, kids, etc.
Unless your work and life need to be very secretive, or involve matters of national or international importance, I personally think a simpler printed/written format that works without electronics/Internet would be a better option. Of course, the printed details can have simple encryption, which your family/friends can break using day-to-day quirks you shared, such as the family secret codes, the name of that pet in the town you grew up in, or the middle name from the story of your great-grandfather, etc.
Some time ago, my mother-in-law (erstwhile teacher) and my godmother-aunty (businesswoman) began to forget many things. Their kids have tried quite a few phone apps and whatnot with electronics. Finally, I have suggested enforcing just two things: a lot of Valet bowls around the house (at common places in all the rooms) and pocket notebooks with pens attached. They just write anything and everything, from money to kitchen items to anything they want. If they forgot something, refer to the notebooks. If a key is lost, try the Valet Bowl. Now, my plan is to train their muscle memory to drop/pick from the bowl (don’t try to remember) and write things down.
The idea of Valet Bowls comes from something someone mentioned on Hacker News.
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#128Low tech: I put my secret manager password in a physical journal that is locked in a fire proof, water proof vault and hidden somewhere only my partner and myself know where it is. I use a password manager. Everything else goes in the password manager.
This is what I do too, but be warned about “fire proof” - a fire that results in the total loss of your house will create enough heat for enough time that fireproof gun safes and smaller fireproof lockboxes will be destroyed, or even if not, their contents will get hot enough to combust anyway. A bank safe deposit box offers a different security profile that’s probably more robust against fire because banks burn less…
I know there’s metal plates you can self stamp for crypto wallets. I’m sure you can do the same for this purpose.
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#129Low tech: I put my secret manager password in a physical journal that is locked in a fire proof, water proof vault and hidden somewhere only my partner and myself know where it is. I use a password manager. Everything else goes in the password manager.
Alternative - my partner and I (and also two other close contacts) have password managers that contain each of the other one's secret. This was less an effort to help with the memory loss scenario and more of an effort to deal with death and access to services (especially to cease subscriptions and the like). In a lower trust scenario you could probably use a lawyer as a broker of the secret (potentially even as part…
So if you and your partner die, whoever is part of your family is fck.
Re: Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
do you store stuff in a bank? could you tell me more about it? my account gives me access to one for free and been meaning to put a yubikey there for a while but never have
Safe deposit boxes are not safe. There are many stories of peoples stuff going missing. ex: https://www.cbc.ca/news/safety-deposit-box-protection-1.7338... https://archive.is/www.nytimes.com/2019/07/19/business/safe-...
My (large) bank is yanking their safety deposit boxes out. They let subscribers know that they have, like, 1 or 2 years to go. They're doing it across the branches. They basically feel it's not worth the liability any more, and the way it was presented to me, it's not just them, but other banks are also doing (or at least considering) this.
Things we take for granted. When my father passed, I was digging stuff out of SDBs that he had for decades.