Password Manager
What is Password Manager?
Password ManagerAn application that generates, stores, and autofills strong unique credentials, secured by a master passphrase and increasingly by passkeys.
A password manager keeps an encrypted vault of credentials and secrets that the user unlocks with a single master passphrase and ideally a second factor. The client generates long random passwords per site, autofills them only when the page origin matches the saved entry (which mitigates phishing), and syncs across devices via end-to-end encryption. Modern tools — 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Keeper, Apple Passwords, Google Password Manager — also store TOTP seeds, passkeys, secure notes, and SSH keys, and offer enterprise features like SSO, SCIM provisioning, breach monitoring, and shared vaults. Risks include vault compromise via master passphrase phishing, malware on the endpoint, and supply-chain attacks against the vendor.
● Examples
- 01
1Password generating and autofilling a unique 24-character password for each new account.
- 02
A team using Bitwarden Organizations to share infrastructure secrets across engineering.
● Frequently asked questions
What is Password Manager?
An application that generates, stores, and autofills strong unique credentials, secured by a master passphrase and increasingly by passkeys. It belongs to the Identity & Access category of cybersecurity.
What does Password Manager mean?
An application that generates, stores, and autofills strong unique credentials, secured by a master passphrase and increasingly by passkeys.
How do you defend against Password Manager?
Defences for Password Manager typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.
What are other names for Password Manager?
Common alternative names include: Credential manager, Password vault.