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Pass: The standard Unix password manager

passwordstore.org

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Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

git push. The Android app works with git repos from SSH. I also use Wireguard since I run my SSH server behind the VPN, but this is obviously optional since you can just expose your SSH server to the internet.

Sorry, I meant more on the UI side. Like if I'm on a website that needs a login, do I run a pass command in a local terminal, then copy and paste?

That's what they meant with "The Android app works with git repos from SSH".

That is: there are GUI mobile and desktop client apps, compatible with the pass storage schemes.

In this case, the parent refers to one such app that can connect to e.g. your GitHub repo with your passes, and read/manage the passwords from there.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#32
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you get your passwords out of the repo on your phone?

Not having access to your passwords on your phone is considered by some of us as a feature.

OP said they sync it to their phone.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#33

here's why this is a bad idea: - i generate random passwords for myself (yay) - i share these random passwords with my team (ugh... git i guess huh!) - i share some of these random passwords with my family (you try teaching a 6 year old git, and a 37 year old woman who already doesn't want to change her habits) - i use these passwords on my home computer (windows), work computer (osx), android, ios Yeah, not going to…

Not sure what any of the above have to do with this app...

"- i share these random passwords with my team (ugh... git i guess huh!)"

Git doesn't mean you "share" anything. First, you can use a private repo, second your passwords are encrypted. Unless you give the master key, nobody "shares" your passwords, even if they have access to the git repo.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#34
It is a file-based key-value store, where only the values are encrypted[1], with GPG to make it worse. For these reasons, I moved to KeePassXC. It is cross-platform, has a nice Qt GUI and you don't have to resort to hacks to have several values associated with a single key (i.e. not just password, but also username and others).

[1]: Keys and Git history are not encrypted.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#35

I've been using pass for several years now and I recommend it to my friends, but I usually get weird looks when I say I store my passwords in a git repo (it's not as bad as it sounds!). Here's why: - I host my git repo on my desktop computer (through SSH), so it's not exposed anywhere except if you have SSH access to my computer. (A lot of people seem to think git = GitHub which is not true). So if your git repo is n…

It's worth mentioning though that your repo could leak metadata about what accounts you have, and your username, depending on how you name your pass entries (ie. you can mitigate it by adopting a more cryptic naming scheme for sensitive entries). Just something to be aware of, it may not matter for your use case. Bitbucket still offers free private repos, which I use for my password store.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#36
post #24
post #19

I used to use this, and then I moved to a real password manager. Like seriously, this doesn’t hold a candle to an actual well-engineered password manager. I use Keepass right now, with MacPass and Keepassium; both excellent apps.

What does Keepass do that pass doesn't?

I've only used keypassx on windows, but the auto fill feature was amazing.

You would push a key shortcut, then based on the window title of whatever window has focus, it would simulate key presses into it. So I could type secure credentials into any program on my computer with one key stroke.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#37
Here are some of the pros of the Pass:

* It leaks meta-data. That might sound a con, but in exchange you get the ability to extract a password without decrypting and thus exposing other passwords. There is isolation.

* It’s more convenient than a single file password manager. You type ‘’pass -c goo’’ for your Google account, instead of clicking on your password manager, typing password, searching in data base, finding the right entry, copying password or pressing auto complete and closing the database. The combination of mouse and keyboard can make alternative password managers slower.

* You don’t need your master password to add a new password (it uses asymmetric encryption).

* You can easily program it, eg, write a backup script that grab a password from store.

* It uses GPG which means your secret key can be stored on Yubikey, handled by a dedicated agent. Your password is basically a short PIN with max 3 tries. This is unparalleled convenience and security!

* It’s secure, because it’s a short bash script that you can check, and delegates encryption to a dedicated well-audited cryptographic tool.

* You can encrypt to multiple keys, thus use it similar to LUKS that supports multiple passwords.

* GPG is usually widely available, so you can decrypt a password on another system on which you may not admin rights to install your password manager.

There might be few cons though. For example, if you store your database on a cloud, say, Dropbox, Dropbox could switch your Dropbox.com file with google.com file, and you copy and hand over your Google password to Dropbox. But this is hypothetical for most of us! Also, some people don’t like metadata (filenames) leakage, though apparently there are solutions for that.

Overall it’s very convenient and functional. I highly recommend it.

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

git push. The Android app works with git repos from SSH. I also use Wireguard since I run my SSH server behind the VPN, but this is obviously optional since you can just expose your SSH server to the internet.

Sorry, I meant more on the UI side. Like if I'm on a website that needs a login, do I run a pass command in a local terminal, then copy and paste?

Ah, there is an Android app [1] which you sync the passwords to and it basically presents a list of all your websites. To use a password: tap on the website name, unlock your GPG key, and then see your password and put it in your phone's copy/paste buffer.

[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.msfjarvis....

Re: Pass: The standard Unix password manager

#39
I don't use pass myself (I have severe NIH[1]), but its design has inspired me many times over: very, very few tools rise to the challenge of adhering to the Unix philosophy without cargo-culting it, and pass is one of them. I highly recommend that people looking to write engineer-friendly tools study its manpage[2].

[1]: https://github.com/woodruffw/kbs2

[2]: https://git.zx2c4.com/password-store/about/

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