Many people use Firefox to remember passwords to the websites they visit, thinking their passwords are safe from prying eyes. But this is not the case. Firefox stores passwords in a very insecure manner, allowing anyone with access to your computer to easily look them up. Enter KeePass, an open-source, cross-platform password management tool.

I tested out KeePassX on my Mac to see if it would give me a more secure way to store my passwords. KeePass uses AES or Twofish encryption to secure a master database of all your passwords. You have one password you need to remember to open the database and access all your passwords. Keypass generates very secure passwords (HjVgF4P3si0et6KnDLxZrxu5n) of various lengths with or without special characters for you to use on websites.

What I like: KeePass eliminates two vulnerabilities: KeePass’ generated passwords make it virtually impossible for people to guess your password and it securely encrypts your passwords should someone ever gain access to your computer.

What I don’t like: Unlike the Windows version, KeePassX doesn’t have an auto-fill hotkey. That means every time you want to log into a site, you have to have KeePass open, switch to KeePass, copy the password, switch back to your browser, and paste the password. This is way too much work.

Due to this lacking feature, I won’t be using KeePass for my regular passwords. However, for certain passwords like my bank account I would consider using KeePass. The down side is that I have to have KeePass to retrieve my password. If I’m on another computer, I won’t be able to login.

Bottom line is I’m still looking for a strong password protection tool. What do you use to secure your passwords?