Windows 10 Preview on Linux Virtual Machine

Click above for a larger view.

Here is a screen shot of the Windows 10 Technical Preview running as a guest OS in a virtual machine in Ubuntu 14.04. Windows 10 is in the smaller window (1024 x 768) in the center of the wide screen (1920 x 1080) Linux display. It can also be run in full screen mode.

The Kernel-based Virtual Machine is configured to use one CPU core, 2 GB RAM and 12 GB disk space.  The Windows 10 setup asked for 11.1 GB of disk space. After install there was 2.64 GB of free disk space. A bunch of apps were downloaded and installed automatically after the basic Windows 10 installation completed.


At the far left of the Linux screen is the standard Ubuntu Unity launcher (dock). At the far right is the Conky Seamod widget that shows various aspects of resource usage on the host PC.

My reference for setting up the virtual machine was this article. Performance of Windows 10 is quite good under this configuration, and gives a good opportunity to try out the preview version.

Password Management

Below are my notes about several methods and tools for password management. Individual needs and preferences will always help to determine the best approach. 

For a collection of articles that review various password management programs, scroll down to the section labeled  "Reviews".

Paper Records

• easy to use, but requires manual keyboard entry of login data
• storage is offline
• must be stored and transported securely
• may not be with you when you need it
• no electrical power needed to access
• frequent updates can get messy

Web Browser Password Storage

• built into popular web browsers
• convenient for most web sites
• storage by web browser on your device is not highly secure
• password data can be lost if not backed up
• must synchronize among multiple devices
• master password strongly recommended for user access

Spreadsheet Password Storage

• convenient for most web sites
• storage by spreadsheet file on your device is not highly secure
• password data can be lost if not backed up
• must synchronize among multiple devices
• master password strongly recommended for user access

Cloud-based Password Managers

• encrypted password data is shared among all of your registered devices via cloud storage
• all encryption / decryption is done on your device
• software must be installed on each device
• can augment security with a hardware multifactor authentication device
• able to capture login information during initial login creation on a web page
• automatically enters login information on subsequent logins
• easy to create new login information and updated passwords
• can generate strong random passwords that meet web site requirements
• can securely store content other than logins
• a master password is required

Local Computer-based Password Managers

• encrypted password data is stored on your device (computer, phone, flash drive / removable media)
• data file must be backed up
• if removable media used for storage, must transport between devices
• all encryption / decryption is done on your device
• software must be installed on each device
• some can augment security with a hardware multifactor authentication device
• data can be shared among all of your devices via manual copy process, local server or cloud
• easy to create new login information and updated passwords
• can use copy / paste or auto-text to apply login data to a web page
• can generate strong random passwords that meet web site requirements
• can securely store content other than logins
• a master password is required

Reviews

Many articles are published that review and compare password manager programs. Here are a few for information. The first article does a very good job of explaining the big picture and the specifics of various approaches.

Password managers: Are they safe? Which is the best?
The Best Password Managers
Lifehacker Faceoff: The Best Password Managers, Compared 

Take control of password chaos with these six password managers

Web Browser Based Password Managers  -- See page 5

Top 10 password managers