4/2/2024: Your password manager’s hidden powers

Password managers: They’re not just for passwords

Plus: AT&T’s leaked data dump, Apple’s excellent iPhone guides, and another file-sharing tool

Jared Newman

April 2, 2024

Some of the best ways to use a password manager don’t involve passwords at all.

Think of a password manager not just as a place for login data, but as a secure, searchable database for important personal info. I’ve obviously been thinking a lot about this after last week’s column about Bitwarden, but no matter which password manager you use, chances are you could be doing a lot more with it.

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Need to know

AT&T’s leaked data dump: AT&T has admitted that the personal data for 73 million of its current and past customers has leaked on the open web—including names, addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers—though it won’t say how the data was stolen in the first place. The original breach dates back to 2021, and while AT&T denied responsibility at the time, the company now says it doesn’t know whether the data “originated from AT&T or one of its vendors.”

As Karl Bode notes, wireless carriers have a long history of mishandling users’ personal info (see also: T-Mobile getting hacked nine times since 2018) but face no meaningful repercussions for doing so. Sadly, that means it’s on users to be vigilant for phishing schemes or other cyberattacks that make use of the stolen data.

Amazon’s palm scan push: Amazon really wants people to digitally scan their palm prints as a way to pay for things at retail stores. While it previously performed those scans at Whole Foods and other supported venues, its new Amazon One app can scan people’s palms at home.

Not that you need to. Contactless payments are a solved problem already with the likes of Apple Pay and Google Pay, neither of which require you to file biometric data in a centralized online database. While Amazon says it doesn’t store raw palm prints and makes all sorts of other security assurances, it’s still a bigger leap of faith than using face or fingerprint data that never leaves your phone—and with not much to gain in return.

Tip of the moment

RTF(A)M: Whenever someone asks me how to accomplish something on an iPhone and I don’t know the answer off-hand, here’s how I almost always find it: Type in a web search for the issue in question, then add “Apple support” to the end, so the first result leads to Apple’s own documentation.

While you might not expect much from an official manual, Apple does a fantastic job, with clear instructions and illustrations that cover practically every system-level app and feature. If you’re new to the iPhone, or just wish you knew a little more, try heading to the iPhone User Guide and clicking the “Table of Contents” link, or just search for any topic.

It only took me a minute or two of perusing to learn something new: Did you know that you can quickly share a photo in your Camera Roll using Siri? Just say “Hey Siri, send this to (contact name),” and you’ll get a pop-up for filling out a text message with the photo attached.

Kudos to Apple for getting it right. Meanwhile, Google’s illustrated Pixel Guidebook is non-searchable, and Samsung is still doing PDFs.

Now try this

Secure password maker: Proton has put out a handy tool for generating secure passwords, with a variety of adjustable parameters. Normally your password manager would handle this for you—the tool itself is an ad, of sorts, for Proton’s own offering—but a freestanding cool could be helpful if you’re trying to come up with a new master password, plus the design is kind of fun. Try playing with the “Memorable” option until you find something that resonates.

Share files locally: LocalSend is a free, open-source app for sending files to other devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Install the app on any two devices, and you can quickly transfer files between them. It’s available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

I’ve previously recommended Pairdrop and Payload for local file sharing, but the former only works in a web browser, and the latter doesn’t support mobile devices. I also like LocalSend’s “Quick Save” mode, in which the receiving device automatically downloads the files without making you accept them first—though you should never enable that outside your home network. Whichever tool you use, it beats emailing files to yourself. (Via the Tech Productivity newsletter.)

I’ve just added these tools to my list of more than 300 awesome apps—exclusively for Advisorator subscribers.

Spend wisely

Want to turn your iPad into a desktop PC? B&H has Kensington’s StudioDock on sale for $70, down from its original $399 asking price and $10 less than the historical low on Amazon. The dock is compatible with the 11-inch iPad Pro and 2020-onward iPad Airs, and it has ports for USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, an SD card, wired ethernet, and 3.5mm audio. The base of the stand can also wirelessly charge a phone and earbuds. Here’s a good review.

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Until next week,
Jared