Proton unveiled its long-awaited password manager on Wednesday: Proton Pass. The Swiss VPN provider touts Proton Pass as a tool to manage your online identity. It not only encrypts and stores your passwords but also your email address.
Proton announces Proton Pass via a weblog.
This is how Proton Pass protects your identity
An email address is one of the most personal things people can disclose on the internet, according to the VPN provider. If hackers or cybercriminals manage to get their hands on it, you run the risk of being exposed to spam and phishing messages. In addition, service providers can’t hash an email address: after all, they need this address to communicate with their customers.
With this in mind, Proton tries to distinguish itself from the competition. Proton Pass not only encrypts and protects passwords but also email addresses. She does this by generating a so-called email alias. It is an alternate email address to hide your real email address.
“Not only does this prevent third parties from seeing who you are, but it also filters out trackers and other marketing tools before the messages are forwarded to your main inbox,” says Proton. Another advantage is that your actual email address remains secret if hackers manage to steal data from a company. Any spam and phishing messages that arrive on an email alias can be easily deactivated.
You can set up an alias with any email service, not just Proton Mail.
End-to-end encryption, synchronization and strong security
Passwords, usernames, and email addresses: Proton Pass uses end-to-end encryption to store the entire contents of a digital vault. In that respect, Proton offers more protection than most other password managers. They usually only encrypt passwords.
Proton emphasizes that this is an essential fact because any “seemingly innocent piece of information” can be used by criminals to create detailed profiles. “For example, if an attacker can see that you have saved passwords for accounts at Grindr, gop.com, or even manga fan websites, then they know a lot about you as a person, even if they don’t actually have access to your accounts,” the statement said. VPN provider.
Proton Pass uses a strong bcrypt password hashing implementation and a reinforced implementation of Secure Remote Password (SRP) for authentication. In addition, the password manager syncs across multiple devices and offers end-to-end encryption for backups. This way, you will never lose your passwords, even if your smartphone is stolen.
Proton Pass is free for everyone
Proton Pass is now available for free to everyone. A subscription to one of the Proton packages is not necessary. The free version gives you unlimited logins and unlimited encrypted notes. On the other hand, the number of email aliases and 2FA registrations is limited.
Additional features, such as additional vaults to manage your passwords and email addresses, unlimited email aliases, and 2FA logins, require you to purchase a paid subscription, such as a Proton Family subscription. This costs 20 euros per month with a two-year subscription.