NordVPN launches password management solution NordPass
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VPN provider NordVPN launched its password management solution NordPass recently after a prolonged early access test.
The solution is available for iOS and Android, and the browsers Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Microsoft Edge at the time of writing. Browser extensions require a companion app, called NordPass Background App that needs to be downloaded and installed on desktop devices. You may only use the extensions on desktop devices if the background application is running.
A free version is available that is limited to a single device. Users who need access to their data on multiple devices can install it on these devices and the data will be synced between these devices, but there will always be one active session at all times. Paid plans start at $2.49 for a 2-year subscription.
NordVPN promises that "all encryption and decryption" happens on the user's device. The service uses XChaCha20 encryption for the vault with Argon2 and zero-knowledge encryption. Any data that leaves the system is encrypted before it does so.
Users are asked to pick a master password during setup after they have entered their NordPass email address and verified the email. Access appears to be limited to NordPass customers at the time of writing or users who sign-up for a paid plan. A recovery code is displayed that may be used to recover access if the master password is lost.
Options to import passwords from various browsers and password management solutions is provided. NordPass supports imports from Chrome, Opera and Firefox, and numerous password managers such as KeePass, LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane, or BitWarden. Options to import data from CSV files are also available.
Customers may enable two-factor authentication in the account settings to add another layer of protection to the account; this is highly recommended for users of the service as a breach provides access to all saved passwords. NordPass' two-factor authentication solution works with popular authentication apps like Authy, Google Authenticator or Duo Mobile.
The password manager displays icons next to login fields; activation displays available logins and options to select these to sign-in to the service in question.
The service does not indicate to the user if logins are available for the particular site; neither the icon in the browser's address bar nor the icons in the password fields highlight that. You find out only after you click on the icon in the field.
Sign-ins are semi-automated. The service does not seem to support auto-logins into sites which means that you need to select an account manually and hit the log-in button each time you want to sign in. Some users prefer it that way because of added security, others will probably miss the auto-login option as it makes the process more convenient.
The service may be used to pick passwords for new accounts and password changes for existing accounts. Options to modify the parameters for generated passwords are not provided. New accounts and changes are picked up by the service automatically and are saved on user request.
Other features that NordPass supports:
- NordPass users may save notes and credit card information as well using the service.
- Password sharing.
Closing Words
If you look at NordPass and compare it to other password management solutions, you may come to the conclusion that the service is too expensive for what it offers. Even if you compare the free version, you may notice that it lacks in comparison to other applications.
My main gripes with the service are that it requires a background app if you use a browser extension, that it lacks critical settings, e.g. to change password generation parameters, and needs more polishing as well, e.g. an indicator that a login was found for the active site.
I can see this do well as part of a bundle with NordVPN but the service will have a hard time getting traction on its own because of the better, and often times cheaper, solutions that are out there.
Now You: What is your impression? Do you use a password management solution?
Doesn’t Windows 8 know that www. or http:// are passe ?
Well it is a bit difficulty to distinguish between name.com domains and files for instance.
I know a service made by google that is similar to Google bookmarks.
http://www.google.com/saved
@Ashwin–Thankful you delighted my comment; who knows how many “gamers” would have disagreed!
@Martin
The comments section under this very article (3 comments) is identical to the comments section found under the following article:
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/15/netflix-is-testing-game-streaming-on-tvs-and-computers/
Not sure what the issue is, but have seen this issue under some other articles recently but did not report it back then.
Omg a badge!!!
Some tangible reward lmao.
It sucks that redditors are going to love the fuck out of it too.
With the cloud, there is no such thing as unlimited storage or privacy. Stop relying on these tech scums. Purchase your own hardware and develop your own solutions.
This is a certified reddit cringe moment. Hilarious how the article’s author tries to dress it up like it’s anything more than a png for doing the reddit corporation’s moderation work for free (or for bribes from companies and political groups)
Almost al unlmited services have a real limit.
And this comment is written on the dropbox article from August 25, 2023.
First comment > @ilev said on August 4, 2012 at 7:53 pm
For the God’s sake, fix the comments soon please! :[
Yes. Please. Fix the comments.
With Google Chrome, it’s only been 1,500 for some time now.
Anyone who wants to force me in such a way into buying something that I can get elsewhere for free will certainly never see a single dime from my side. I don’t even know how stupid their marketing department is to impose these limits on users instead of offering a valuable product to the paying faction. But they don’t. Even if you pay, you get something that is also available for free elsewhere.
The algorithm has also become less and less savvy in terms of e.g. English/German translations. It used to be that the bot could sort of sense what you were trying to say and put it into different colloquialisms, which was even fun because it was like, “I know what you’re trying to say here, how about…” Now it’s in parts too stupid to translate the simplest sentences correctly, and the suggestions it makes are at times as moronic as those made by Google Translations.
If this is a deep-learning AI that learns from users’ translations and the phrases they choose most often – which, by the way, is a valuable, moneys worthwhile contribution of every free user to this project: They invest their time and texts, thereby providing the necessary data for the AI to do the thing as nicely as they brag about it in the first place – alas, the more unprofessional users discovered the translator, the worse the language of this deep-learning bot has become, the greater the aggregate of linguistically illiterate users has become, and the worse the language of this deep-learning bot has become, as it now learns the drivel of every Tom, Dick and Harry out there, which is why I now get their Mickey Mouse language as suggestions: the inane language of people who can barely spell the alphabet, it seems.
And as a thank you for our time and effort in helping them and their AI learn, they’ve lowered the limit from what was once 5,000 to now 1,500…? A big “fuck off” from here for that! Not a brass farthing from me for this attitude and behaviour, not in a hundred years.
When will you put an end to the mess in the comments?
Ghacks comments have been broken for too long. What article did you see this comment on? Reply below. If we get to 20 different articles we should all stop using the site in protest.
I posted this on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/28/reddit-enforces-user-activity-tracking-on-site-to-push-advertising-revenue/] so please reply if you see it on a different article.
Comment redirected me to [https://www.ghacks.net/2012/08/04/add-search-the-internet-to-the-windows-start-menu/] which seems to be the ‘real’ article it is attached to
Comment redirected me to [https://www.ghacks.net/2012/08/04/add-search-the-internet-to-the-windows-start-menu/] which seems to be the ‘real’ article it is attached to
Article Title: Reddit enforces user activity tracking on site to push advertising revenue
Article URL: https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/28/reddit-enforces-user-activity-tracking-on-site-to-push-advertising-revenue/
No surprises here. This is just the beginning really. I cannot see a valid reason as to why anyone would continue to use the platform anymore when there are enough alternatives fill that void.