I'm facing a challenge at work where our team frequently adds passwords to individual files, like PDFs, ZIPs, and Word documents. These passwords often get shared via email or messaging apps, and I'm struggling to keep track of them all. I thought about using password managers like Bitwarden, 1Password, or LastPass, but they seem to require a lot of manual effort to handle file-level passwords. I'm wondering if there's an effective solution out there that could help me manage these passwords more efficiently. Maybe a manager that could suggest passwords based on stored file hashes or something similar? I'd love to hear your thoughts and any recommendations you might have. Thanks!
5 Answers
Password managers usually aren’t great for file-level passwords, but you can use Secure Notes or add custom fields for storing passwords alongside the file names. Tools like KeePass offer more flexibility for this kind of task.
We use a system where passwords are assigned an ID, like PW123. It makes managing password access easier when staff transition. It helps us streamline access without having to change all our documentation constantly, plus we use Vaultwarden for the management.
Managing user-created passwords is tough. You'll always be playing catch-up with new ones. Instead of relying on passwords for PDFs and ZIP files (which can be cracked easily), consider focusing on your core use cases and implement better controls. Sensitivity labels do work, but they take time to set up. Don't forget to check out SharePoint's sharing options too.
If you prefer a simpler approach, you could just keep a list in a text file and encrypt it with GPG. It's a straightforward way to manage passwords securely without too much hassle.
Consider using sensitivity labels from Microsoft. They're designed to keep data secure, and might help with your password issues. This way, you can manage who has access to sensitive files.
We tried this approach once, but with the high volume of documents, it quickly became unmanageable for us.
Agreed! Purview and SharePoint can support this better than you might think, but I've also heard it can get tricky with lots of files.