Get Started – Bitwarden Password Manager

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I have moved to Bitwarden and recommend you do the same.

A dedicated password manager is crucial for online security because it offers features beyond basic browser password storage, including strong encryption, automatic password generation, and secure sharing. These features help users avoid password reuse, improve organization, and alert them to potential breaches, ultimately reducing the risk of identity theft and data breaches.

Your Browser Password Manager Probably Isn’t Secure

While convenient, browser-based password managers often lack robust security features and can expose users to risks. Dedicated password managers offer better protection, especially when they utilize zero-knowledge architecture.

Browser password managers, built into browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, provide a convenient way to store and manage passwords. However, they have several inherent limitations that make them less secure than dedicated password managers:

Lack of Zero-Knowledge Architecture; Vulnerability to Browser Exploits; Reliance on Browser Security; Limited Functionality: “Walled Garden” Approach:

Choose A Password Manager  

Using a password manager is one of the most crucial steps you can take to enhance online security. There are some good ones to choose from: KeyPass, DashLane, 1Password, RoboForm, and Bitwarden. These are all well-vetted and safe to use. I now use and recommend Bitwarden. 

Creating One Strong, Easy-to-Remember Password for Use as a Master Password

However, to use a password manager, you still need one Password to lock and unlock it. This Password needs to be unique and follow all the robust rules. This one Password should have no relation to your life, family, anniversaries, hobbies, or travels. In other words, not be guessable by someone with knowledge of your life. At the same time, this master password must be easy to remember and type, especially on a phone keyboard.

Here is a simple online tool from BitWarden. We will use it to generate pseudowords (nonsense words) to create our unique, unguessable master password.

Open the Bitwarden Password Generator

  1. Set the Username Length to 5 or 6 characters.
  2. Choose “easy to say” and check the Lowercase box.
  3. Now, click the circular arrow symbol to generate a word. Repeat clicking the circle arrow till you find a pseudoword you can pronounce, and make notes of it.
    Repeat this process until you have 3 or 4 nonce words.
  4. Combine these non-words using numbers and symbols between them, and add some numbers to the beginning or end.
The goal is to create a 23- to 30-character random master password that you’ll use to secure the password manager.
Here’s how I create a master password using the LastPass username generator.
First, I created three five-letter base words (betag, erect, and glide).
Note: I toggled through many combinations in the username generator tool for each base word until a variety appealed to me.
Then combine them with numbers, symbols, and capital letters to build a 23 or more-character password; add some numbers to the beginning or end (beTag83eRecs@gleDi301-555-1147) to end up with 30 30-character password. This random combination of letters, numbers, and symbols will be my Master Password for logging in to the password manager you choose and nowhere else.
  • How long does it take to crack a Password? See the chart or the Password Strength Testing Tool.
  • After creating a new Master Password, print several copies to have one to store in your safe deposit box or fireproof safe, as well as a convenient location for reference while memorizing your new Master Password.
    Caution: You do not want to enter the Master Password in any editor that might automatically save it to your hard drive or the cloud (like MS Word, Google Docs, or your Email compose window). Windows Notepad (click Start or the Windows key, press” n”, choose Notepad from the list) is safe if you discard changes when closing the app or use the Chrome browser notepad.
  • To open the Chrome browser notepad, type or copy and paste data: text/html, <html contenteditable> in your omnibar (address bar). That may seem daunting to remember every time you want to access the Notepad, but it’s possible to add this to your bookmarks, making it easily accessible.
    Tip: You can drag the URL directly from the omnibar to the bookmark bar. I edit the Name to make it shorter, allowing for more items on the bookmark bar.

Bitwarden security and multifactor encryption

A strong master password provides the first and most crucial level of protection to safeguard your vault data. Beyond this, Bitwarden adds an extra layer of encryption and protection, known as multifactor authentication, when your vault syncs with the Bitwarden cloud. Learn how multifactor encryption works to reinforce security and protect your vault information.

Session Two
Create Your Bitwarden Account
To create a Bitwarden account, select the Get Started button on the Bitwarden homepage, or click here.
Create your account help page.
On the Create Account screen, fill out all fields (Master Password Hint is optional) and select Submit.
  • Make sure you don’t forget your Master Password. Bitwarden’s zero-knowledge model means we can’t see or recover your Master Password.

Verify your email
Once you have created your account, prompt Bitwarden to send you a verification email by logging in to your web vault and selecting the Verify Email button.

Next steps
Now that you have created your account, these help pages will get you up and running.

Get Started with Browser Extensions – Bitwarden browser extensions integrate password management directly into your favorite browser.
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Recommended settings 

Unlock with PIN or biometrics.

For fast access to your credentials, set up a PIN or biometrics to unlock your vault.

  1. Open the Settings tab.
  2. In the Security section, check the Unlock with PIN checkbox.
  3. Enter the desired PIN code in the input box. PIN codes can be any combination of characters (a-z, 0-9, $, #, etc.)

Pin the extension

Pinning the browser extension ensures that it remains easily accessible each time you open your browser. The procedure differs based on which browser you are using:

  • In Chrome, select the Extensions icon next to the address bar and select the Pin icon next to Bitwarden:

Disable a built-in password manager

Most web browsers will automatically save your passwords by default, but experts generally agree that built-in password managers are more vulnerable than dedicated solutions such as Bitwarden:

  • In the Chrome browser, navigate to the Passwords page. On this page, toggle off both the Offer to save passwords option and the Auto Sign-in option:
Session Three (only if moving from a different password manager)
Exporting Your Passwords & Importing To BitWarden

Import your data
Use one of Bitwarden’s import guides for help transferring your data from an existing vault to Bitwarden.

Import Data To Bitwarden

Data you download from your previous password manager will be imported into Bitwarden. Data is encrypted locally before being sent to the server for storage.

Upload data to your vault:

  1. Log in to the web vault at https://vault.bitwarden.com
  2. Select Tools from the top navigation bar.
  3. Select Import Data from the Tools menu.
  4. From the format dropdown, choose a file format.
  5. Select Choose File and add the file to import, or copy/paste the contents of your file into the input box.
  6. Select Import Data to trigger the import. For example, if you are password-protected or protected. In the JSON file, enter the Password into the Confirm Vault Import window that appears.
  7. After successful import, delete the import source file from your computer. Deleting the file will protect you in the event your computer is compromised. The import file may not include encryption.

File attachments, sends, trash, and past import files. These items must be manually downloaded from LastPass and uploaded to your Bitwarden vault.

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Session Four – Using Bitwarden
  Videos

These are the best complete tutorial videos I’ve found.

Advanced Topics

Getting Started | The most used help sections; study the (* starred) item first.
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   The Oficial BitWarden Help page.
Your Vault
  • * Your Master Password
    Account Protection and Avoiding Lockout
    Bitwarden cannot reset user passwords, nor can Bitwarden disable two-step login if it has been enabled on your account.
    Warning:  Users who lose their Master Password or their two-step login recovery code will need to delete their account and start over.

To mitigate these potential issues, Bitwarden recommends the following for account protection and lockout avoidance.

Master Password – Identify a way for you to retain and be able to recover your Master Password should you forget it. This may include writing it down and placing it in a safe or secure place.

Two-step login recovery code – If you choose to set up a two-step login, be sure to access and retain your recovery code and store that in an equally safe place as your Master Password. Get your Recovery Code:

Auto-fill
Protect Your Bitwarden Account With a Two-Step Login
  • Field Guide to Two-Step Login – Authy is our recommended authenticator app because it includes backups for any device. Backups prevent you from losing access to your tokens, even if you lose the device on which Authy is installed. Flip the Authenticator Backups toggle on the Accounts screen of the Authy app to use this feature.
  • Two-step Login Methods
Recovery Codes for Two-step Login
  • ** Lost Secondary Device. Be sure to store the two-step login recovery code safely.
    TWO-STEP LOGIN Recovery code
    Your Bitwarden two-step login recovery code:
    XXXX 0C5H Y2ZJH XXXX 2 4GNP XXXX 2AMJ
  • Two-Step Login FAQs
Security
  • Encryption
    Changing KDF iterations – Bitwarden uses a secure default (100,001 iterations), as mentioned above. However, you can change the iteration count from the Account Settings → Security → Keys menu of the web vault.
    Setting your KDF iterations too high could result in poor performance when logging into (and unlocking) Bitwarden on devices with slower CPUs. Therefore, we recommend increasing the value in increments of 50,000 and testing all your devices.
    Note: I set my account to 1000101 iterations.
  • Account Fingerprint Phrase
Bitwarden Send
Quick Start
Basic Functions, Options, and Settings
  • Pin Bitwarden extension in Chrome
    • Click the Extension icon > Click the Bitwarden Pin (turn it blue)
  • Turn off LastPass Chrome
    • Click the Extension icon > Choose Manage Extensions > Turn off LastPass
  • In Chrome, turn off the Auto Sign-in
    • Click the kebab menu (three-dot menu) > Choose Settings > Click Autofill > Password Manager > Turn off Auto Sign-in.

Sign up for a new account in the Browser Extension

  • Create a folder
    Folders are a great way to make sure you can always find vault items when you need to use them. To create a folder:

    • Select the Settings tab and choose Folders from the settings list.
    • Select the Add icon.
    • Give your folder a name (for example, Social Media) and select Save.
  • Add a login
    • To create a new login item:
      • Navigate to the Signup Page for the new service.
      • Next, open the Bitwarden browser extension.
      • Next, navigate to the My Vault tab and select the  Add icon.
    • Finally, choose which type of item to create (in this case, select Login).
      • Enter the essential information for this Login. For now, give the item:
        • Replace the prefilled Name with something you’ll quickly recognize (for example, your Twitter account).
        • Your Username (this is often your email address).
        • In the Password box, select Generate.
        • The URI 1 field will automatically have the correct (for example, https://twitter.com/login).
        • Select a folder from the Folder dropdown. Note: You can only choose previously created folders.
        • Nice work! Select Save to continue.
    • Test the Login 
      • After creating a new login, I recommend testing it to ensure it works as expected.
        • Open the Bitwarden browser extension.
        • In the Search, Vault box, type a few letters (“walm” to find Walmart) for the site you want to log into.
        • If more than one item shows, choose the desired one and click the Launch icon (first icon on the left)
        • If the login page does not open, navigate to it manually.
          Tip: To prevent having to manually navigate to the login page whenever you want to open the site.
          I recommend editing the saved web page (URI) to open the correct page, which displays login boxes. Here are the steps for changing the URI.

          • Navigate to the page showing the login boxes.
          • Check the address bar; it will display something like (thesite.com/login…), which may be quite long.
          • Click the address bar text (it will turn blue), indicating it is selected, and copy it (Ctrl+C on Mac, CMD+C).
          • Open the Bitwarden browser extension, the site should be listed,d click the View icon (left-most icon)
          • Choose Edit at the top right. Replace the address in the URI 1 box with what you just copied from the address bar.
          • Select Save to continue. Test again!
  • How to Create a New Web Login with Bitwarden by Password Bits YouTube

 

 

Two-step login recovery code – If you choose to set up a two-step login, be sure to access and retain your recovery code and store that in an equally safe place as your Master Password. Get your Recovery Code:

  • * Search your Vault
  • * Folders – Folders are a great way to make your vault items easy to find.
  • Must-Have:  Favorites – Any item can be designated as a Favorite to allow quick access to your most-used items.
  • * Username & Password Generator – Use the Bitwarden generator tool to create strong passwords and usernames easily.
    • Forwarded email alias -Use the integrated username generator with your external aliasing service. The mobile app supports integration with SimpleLogin, AnonAddy, and Firefox Relay.
  • Must-Have: Unlock with PIN– After five failed PIN attempts, the app will automatically log out of your account. Unlock with a PIN can be enabled for the Bitwarden browser extension, mobile app, and desktop app:
  • * Unlock with Biometrics – Unlock with biometrics is supported for Android (Google Play or F-Droid) via fingerprint unlock or face unlock and for iOS via Touch ID and Face ID.
  • * File Attachments  Note: File attachments, sends, trash, and password history are not included in an import file. Additional items will need to be manually uploaded to your vault.
  • * Vault Timeout Options – Vault timeout determines how long Bitwarden can be inactive before timing out. “Inactivity” is determined by time since interacting with Bitwarden, not system idle time.
Protect Your Bitwarden Account With a Two-Step Login
Recovery Codes for Two-step Login
  • ** Lost Secondary Device. Be sure to store the two-step login recovery code safely.
    TWO-STEP LOGIN Recovery code
    Your Bitwarden two-step login recovery code:
    XXXX 0C5H Y2ZJH XXXX 2 4GNP XXXX 2AMJ

 

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