(A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc, alt.security,comp.security.misc) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In article <48888p$970@news.infi.net>, lestat@richmond.infi.net (Terry Harrison) wrote:

I would like to obtain a program to address the following.....

I use the 'remember password' option on my network logins, and then when they expire, I don't remember what they were. This is bad as I need them to change the old password (particularly a problem with Netware). What I would like is a utility that would prompt me for my current windows ID for security, then decode the .pwl files so that I could read my old passwords. Ideally, it would allow an edit of the existing passwords as well. Anybody seen onea these??

Such a thing could exist, because Win95 allows you to save passwords that use different encryption methods. Microsoft would say "no, doesn't exist," however, because this is a major security flaw. I haven't seen such a tool, though. Anybody? What you should do is get a real encryption package like PGP (poke around on http://web.mit.edu/ or http://www.netresponse.com/zldf/, it's free), use something that is long and complicated but that you will never ever forget as your PGP passphrase, and encrypt a text file containing all of your passwords with PGP. You can put other stuff like all your credit card numbers in a PGP-encrypted file with reasonable safety too. You (only) will be able to decrypt and read this file whenever you want. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBMKgam43DXUbM57SdAQE9eQP/YY/Sv9izIoSg9gnOZUM+WQSZfkv/YDi4 oCzFerVMDFZT+7kD+w206qGjrtWUDQ3Rwie5XqlaLG3Ezhh9tpldMMPdy50K8dwI WL43SQeplXDxAESUC3Td7j2MRK5ONacfojSaSoauHW6Ffr+M2sU5opJlB+y88eTv 45VCTDn8J1I= =Qbqx -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- rich graves, llurch@networking.stanford.edu moderator of the win95netbugs list http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~llurch/win95netbugs/faq.html