Cyber security: Bitwarden

A password manager is a program which allows you to store passwords and other sensitive information. It provides other useful features such as a password generator.

Password managers have become popular as they are very helpful.

All of your sensitive information can be stored in an encrypted database and your account is protected by MFA (Multi Factor Authentication).
 
A password manager does more than just store information, it allows you to easily navigate websites and keep all of your information organised.
 
Other features such as the password generator are useful as it can create an infinite amount of random and secure passwords.

Installing/adding a password manager
 
The first step is to navigate to the Extensions tab in your respective browser and find the add-ons page. Next, search for the password manager you would like. For this blog we’re going to use Bitwarden.

Once you have searched for Bitwarden, select ‘add’. This will download the program and redirect you to their website.

From there, go back up to the Extensions tab and click the newly added Bitwarden program. It will prompt you to sign in or sign up.

The My Vault tab

Once you’re logged into Bitwarden, navigate to the ‘My Vault’ tab. This is where your information is stored.

You can copy and paste the username and password and open the URL linked with the login by using the small icons on the right side of the credential.

To add a new entry, select the + icon at the top right hand corner. At the very top there is a drop down where you can choose what the entry will be (folder or login).

You can then input all of the necessary details like the name of the credential, username and password.

You can also add a URL to the credential for easier access. This menu also allows you to move the entry into a folder.

Underneath the folder selection, you can give some notes for the credential such as what site, app or device the credential is for.

You can create an entry in the vault itself which will default the selection to place the entry in the vault and not within a folder.

The Send tab

Now you can select the ‘Send’ tab. This tab allows you to create pre-made messages in which you can put text or instead send a file. These entries are created the same way as credentials are by using the + icon.

Within this menu, you can set a deletion date, expiration date or a maximum access count which limits the amount of users who can access the ‘Send’. You can add a password to protect this send.

The Password generator tab

The next tab is the Password Generator tab. With Bitwarden you can create as many randomly generated passwords as you want (you can also generate usernames and passphrases).
 
The maximum length for a password is 128 characters. You get the choice of what characters are allowed and which are restricted when generating a password.

In this menu you can also set the minimum amount of numbers and special characters. There is an option to avoid any ambiguous characters and an option to view your password history should you need to.

The Settings tab

The penultimate tab is the Settings tab. Within the Settings tab you can access your folders, you are able to add new folders in here as well.

You can also sync your vault in the settings and exclude domains. To exclude a domain, all you need to do is select ‘excluded domains’ and input the URL.

You can also change how often your vault times out and the timeout action. You can add the options to unlock your vault with a pin or biometrics.

The Tab tab

Lastly, it’s the ‘Tab’ tab. This syncs with the URLs in your vault. The ‘Tab’ tab displays the credentials you use on the site.

It’s active for the tab you have open on your browser. When you switch tab, it will switch credentials.