computer science

KeePass

KeePass is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand KeePass rather than just read about it. In short: KeePass Password Safe is a free and open-source password manager primarily for Windows. It officially supports macOS and Linux operating systems through the use of Mono.

Key takeaways

KeePass belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect KeePass to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of KeePass from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

KeePass Password Safe is a free and open-source password manager primarily for Windows. It officially supports macOS and Linux operating systems through the use of Mono. Additionally, there are several unofficial ports for Windows Phone, Android, iOS, and BlackBerry devices, which normally work with the same copied or shared (remote) password database. KeePass stores usernames, passwords, and other fields, including free-form notes and file attachments, in an encrypted file. This file can be protected by any combination of a master password, a key file, and the current Windows account details. By default, the KeePass database is stored on a local file system (as opposed to cloud storage). KeePass comes in two different variants: KeePass 1.x and KeePass 2.x. Although the 1.x variant is the former variant it is supported indefinitely: Dominik Reichl: "2.x isn't the successor of 1.x, and 1.x isn't dead". KeePass 2.x has a different software basis in C# instead of the former C++. Mainly communication features are extended in KeePass 2.x: authentication with the Windows user account, remote and shared database editing as well as many plugins allowing communication and authentication with different web browsers, databases and more. KeePass 1.x and 2.x support a number of plugins, although 2.x allows more plugins. It has a password generator and synchronization function, supports two-factor authentication, and has a Secure Desktop mode. It can use a two-channel auto-type obfuscation feature to offer additional protection against keyloggers. KeePass can import from over 30 other most commonly used password managers. A 2017 Consumer Reports article described KeePass as one of the four most widely used password managers (alongside 1Password, Dashlane and LastPass), being "popular among tech enthusiasts" and offering the same level of security as non-free competitors. A 2019 Independent Security Evaluators study described KeePass as well as other widely used password managers as being unable to control Windows 10's tendency to leave passwords in cleartext in RAM after they are displayed using Windows controlled GUI. In addition, several GitHub projects (KeeFarce, KeeThief, Lazanga) specifically attack a running KeePass to steal all data when the host is compromised. KeePass cannot prevent password theft and, as Dominik Reichl, the administrator of KeePass, states, "neither KeePass nor any other password manager can magically run securely in a spyware-infected, insecure environment."

Overview

Import and export The password list is saved by default as a .kdbx file, but it can be exported to .txt, HTML, XML and CSV. The XML output can be used in other applications and re-imported into KeePass using a plugin. The CSV output is compatible with many other password safes like the commercial closed-source Password Keeper and the closed-source Password Agent. Also, the CSVs can be imported by spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice/LibreOffice Calc. KeePass 2.x has import support for several popular formats built-in. File format support can be expanded through the use of KeePass plugins.

Multi-user support KeePass supports simultaneous access and simultaneous changes to a shared password file by multiple computers (often by using a shared network drive), however there is no provisioning of access per-group or per-entry. As of May 2014, there are no plugins available to add provisioned multi-user support, but there exists a proprietary password server (now titled Keepass Hub, formerly known as Pleasant Password Server) that is compatible with the KeePass client and includes provisioning.

Auto-type and drag and drop

KeePass can minimize itself and type the information of the currently selected entry into dialogs, webforms, etc. KeePass has a global auto-type hot key. When KeePass is running in the background (with an unlocked database) and user presses down the hotkey, it looks up the selected (or correct) entry and enters every login and/or password characters sequence. All fields, such as title, username, password, URL, and notes, can be drag and dropped into other windows. Windows clipboard handling allows double-clicking on any field of the password list to copy its value to the Windows clipboard. KeePass may be configured to randomize characters' input sequence to make it harder to log keystrokes. The features is called Two-Channel Auto-Type Obfuscation (TCATO).

Clipboard reset KeePass automatically clears the clipboard some time after the user has copied one of their passwords into it. KeePass features protection against clipboard monitors (other applications will not get notifications that the clipboard content has been changed). KeePass at one time had a paste-once functionality, where after a single paste operation, the clipboard would be cleared automatically, but this was removed in version 2.x due to incompatibility and insufficient effectiveness.

Browser support The auto-type functionality works with all windows, and consequently with all browsers. The KeeForm extension fills in user details into website form fields automatically. It is available for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer also has a browser integration toolbar available.

Built-in password generator

KeePass features a built-in password generator that generates random passwords. Random seeding can be done through user input (mouse movement and random keyboard input).

Plugins KeePass has a plugin architecture. There are various plugins available from the KeePass website (such as import/export from/to various other formats, database backup, integration, automation, etc.). Note that plugins may compromise the security of KeePass, because they are written by independent authors and have full access to the KeePass database.

Wrapper KeePass has an opensource wrapper, QuicKeepass, that allows the use of KeePass more efficiently on Linux.

Cryptography

Runtime security

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

KeePass: An example of KeePass's auto-type function, which is triggered by a global hotkey — An example of KeePass's auto-type function, which is triggered by a global hotkey

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with KeePass

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what KeePass claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to KeePass before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about KeePass ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of KeePass

In research: KeePass appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses KeePass in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: KeePass is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2003 software, Cryptographic software, Free multilingual software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for KeePass outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study KeePass in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what KeePass means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain KeePass out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is KeePass in simple terms?

KeePass Password Safe is a free and open-source password manager primarily for Windows. It officially supports macOS and Linux operating systems through the use of Mono.

Why does KeePass matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study KeePass?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on KeePass.