Object-based Password (ObPwd) FAQs

ObPwd homepage is here.

1. Will the ObPwd tool remember my passwords?

   No. ObPwd is NOT a password manager. It focuses on relieving you from the pain of creating "strong but memorable" text passwords. You can use the generated passwords in any way you like, including storing them in a password manager.

2. Where can I use the generated passwords?

   You may use the ObPwd generated passwords anywhere that you need a text password, including: website login, answers for personal verification questions (PVQs, i.e., secret questions as used in many sites for online password reset), file encryption password, and pass-phrase for private keys.

3. Does the tool share my selected files with any website?

   No. Your selected files do not leave your computer for the use of ObPwd. When you use the generated password to log in to a website, they receive only your password (as they currently do), not the file you used for creating that password. The tool's author does not receive your files or passwords at any point in time.

4. Can I rename my selected file?

   Yes. Renaming will not affect your generated password. We use only the content of your selected file, but no meta information (e.g., file name, creation/access time, file path).

5. Can I copy my selected file to a different directory/media?

   Yes. You can copy your password generating files in any media you want, such as your USB key, cellphone memory, mobile hard disk, mp3 player. Copying or renaming your file will not change the generated password.

6. Should I modify/edit my selected file?

   No. Any modifications to your file (e.g., editing a selected image or document) will result in a different password. We recommend that you choose files for password generation in ObPwd which are less likely to be modified. Of course, you can simply copy the original file and modify the new copy. Otherwise, you can keep a written copy of your password.

7. Can I use ObPwd from multiple computers?

   Yes. You will need: (i) the ObPwd extension installed, and (ii) access to the selected files that you have used for generating passwords. For example, you may carry your files on your USB keys.

8. I need passwords with special characters. Can I use ObPwd?

   You can, but you must add special characters of your choice to the passwords generated by ObPwd. Now ObPwd generates passwords with alpha-numeric characters (upper + lower case alphabets and decimal digits). However, you may change the preferences to enable special characters.

9. I need passwords of length greater or less than 12 characters. Can I use ObPwd?

   You can, but you must add or remove extra characters according to your need. You can also change the password length in preferences.

10. I can generate password from some http URLs, but not all. What's happening?

    By default, ObPwd disables password generation from many common URL extensions, e.g., html, php, asp etc. The reason behind this decision is that most web URLs now provide dynamic content, e.g., a news link may change as new user comments are added to the page. So you cannot get the same password from the same link, if the link content changes. You may override this in preferences, although we don't recommend it. By default contents from the following (relatively stable) URLs are allowed in ObPwd:

    txt svg png jpg jpeg gif pdf ps zip iso rar tar tgz tz doc odt rtf ppt 3gp 3gpp avi asf dat flv mov movie qt ogv ogm mpg mpg4 mpe mpeg mpa mp2 mp3 mp4 rm ra rmvb vid vbr xvid wmv wma wav

    Gmail attachments are supported by default when you use HTTPS, i.e., when accessing Gmail from https://mail.gmail.com. Links from archiving sites such as web.archive.org and webarchives.loc.gov are also supported.

11. Will this encrypt my selected file?

    No. You may use the password for any purpose you like (e.g., login, encryption), but your password generating file (i.e., the file you have selected for creating your password using ObPwd) will remain exactly the same. We use the content of your selected file for creating a secure password, but do not modify or update that file in any way.

12. If the tool does not work for me, what should I do?

    You can send your concerns, bug reports, or suggestions to: mmannan (at) gmail.com.