Don’t Use Notes to Store Your Passwords (2024)

FAQs

Don’t Use Notes to Store Your Passwords? ›

In conclusion, using a notes app to store passwords is not a safe option. The risks involved with storing passwords on a notes app far outweigh the convenience it provides. Notes app syncing services are not designed to store sensitive data like passwords, and the risk of data being hacked is very real.

Physical security risk: A post-it note with your password is a physical object that can be easily seen and accessed by anyone passing by. This could be a coworker, a visitor, or even a member of cleaning staff. Once your password is exposed, it's as if you've handed over the keys to your digital kingdom.

Are Google Keep notes encrypted? No. There is no encryption applied to Google Keep notes at all. I definitely do not recommend storing any sensitive information (passwords, personal identification information, bank details etc) in it.

Keep Your Passwords Safe Online

If you prefer convenience over security, a password manager is a secure way to store passwords online. When storing passwords offline, a paper password book is the best option. Because pen and paper cannot be hacked, they can keep your passwords safe for years to come.

You can lock notes with your iPhone passcode. Or, you can create a unique password only for Notes. Both options keep your information secure with end-to-end encryption for iCloud accounts. If you use your iPhone passcode, you don't have to create and remember a separate password.

However, you will need to turn off backups of the app in Android or iOS to prevent syncing to the server. This method is not as secure as using cloud storage, but it is still a viable option for those who do not trust cloud storage. It's important to note that storing passwords locally comes with its own set of risks.

Similarly, you should never store passwords in a digital notepad. A digital notepad can be your iPhone's built-in app, Notes, or a note-taking app like Evernote or OneNote. Storing your passwords in a physical or digital notepad presents different security risks but it ultimately comes down to lack of encryption.

The content you save on Keep is private to you, from others, unless you choose to share it.

It is essential to understand that Google Keep saves user data in the cloud as a note-taking application. It means that even though Google has robust security measures, there is always a chance of unauthorized access or possible breaches.

Support ended for the Google Keep Chrome app in early 2021. We have moved Chrome apps to the web. Offline access to notes is available on Keep mobile apps, but not on your computer. Access to Keep on your Chrome OS lock screen is no longer available.

What is the safest way to store passwords? ›

Password managers are the only way to securely store passwords online. These include the built-in password managers on your mobile phone or browser as well as third-party password managers such as TeamPassword.

The least bad alternative…

While they're sometimes mocked, physical password books aren't a bad idea, as long as you follow the guidelines in creating strong, unique logins, and the book is kept somewhere secure and doesn't leave the house.

The most significant risk is that if someone gains access to your computer or mobile device, they can easily access all your saved passwords. Even worse, if your browser is corrupted, cybercriminals can remotely access your passwords, compromising all your accounts.

With iCloud Keychain, you can keep your passwords (and other secure information) updated across your devices and shared with the people that you trust. iCloud Keychain remembers things, so that you don't have to.

Notes will be as secure as your Apple ID is. Moreso if you also lock them. See this... you will be locked out of your own Notes if you lose the password. I would consider that safe.

Secure notes

Each iCloud account (including “On my” device accounts) can have a separate passphrase. When a user secures a note, a 16-byte key is derived from the user's passphrase using PBKDF2 and SHA256. The note and all of its attachments are encrypted using AES with Galois/Counter Mode (AES-GCM).

OneNote uses encryption to secure password-protected sections. If you forget any of your section passwords, no one will be able to unlock those notes for you (not even Microsoft Technical Support). Take care when adding passwords to your notebook sections and when changing them.

It is generally considered more secure to send passwords in an HTTPS request, as the encryption provided by HTTPS can help protect the password in transit. However, it is not recommended to send plaintext passwords in a POST request body, as it can still be intercepted and read by malicious actors.

Sticky notes is an easy to use way of storing private notes. The content however, is not stored in a secure way and thus users should think twice before storing sensitive information such passwords in these notes.

Locked Notes are encrypted and they would need the password used to lock them. And, unless your iPhone is jailbroken, it cannot be hacked.