Q: Some time ago I was introduced to Spartan Multi Clipboard from M8 Software of Liverpool and in particular the portable version which sits in a USB memory stick. I keep all of my regularly used addresses with their passwords on it and it takes only two clicks to enter each. As nothing is typed I believe this will foil key logger type of intruders. What is your opinion? As I am a dedicated “two finger typist” I strongly believe in the philosophy of “type once then copy” and this tool is high on my list of valued programs as its editing features go way beyond simple clip board storage.
The preceding letter from Thomas Rae in the same issue echoes several that I have seen in other magazines. I have Windows XP home SP3 with Norton 360. I downloaded IE8 which installed with no problems or hiccoughs except that for a while I got pop-ups inviting me to install IE8 so that I had to keep checking that that was what I had. Have I done something wrong?
A: There are a number of password vault programs available that allow you to store details of logins for your bank and other websites in a single location. As you suggest this helps defeat keyloggers. It is, however, of limited use with the newest security trend on banking sites to request only two or three random characters from the password – usually via a drop-down or on-screen keypad. It’s also of limited help with passwords – such as dial-up account details – that are already stored within Windows.
The pop-ups inviting you to install IE8 were associated with the beta version of the program and should have gone away with the final release. If you’re still having problems it’s worth uninstalling the program (instructions on how to do this on the Microsoft site) then downloading and reinstalling the program from its home page rather than let Windows Update do it.
Banking sites increasingly ask for password characters to be selected on screen rather than typed
Originally featured in PCU119
