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Proton, the company behind the security- and privacy-focused Proton Mail and Proton VPN, has launched a beta version of its new password manager.

Going under the unsurprising moniker of Proton Pass, the software is described as "perhaps the first one built by a dedicated encryption and privacy company". What this means in practice is that security is greater than in other password managers, with end-to-end encryption on all fields of forms.

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Proton Pass comes largely thanks to Proton's acquisition of SimpleLogin last year, and the company says that a password manager has been one of the biggest requests from users of its other products.

Pointing out how Proton Pass is differs from other password managers, CEO Andy Yen says: "while many other password managers only encrypt the password field, Proton Pass uses end-to-end encryption on all fields (including the username, web address, and more)".

He goes on to explain:

This is important because seemingly innocuous bits of information (such as saved URLs, which many other password managers don't encrypt) can be used to create a highly detailed profile on you. For example, if an attacker can see that you have passwords saved for an account with Grindr, gop.com, or even a manga fan site, theyll know a lot about you as a person, even if they can't actually access your accounts.

Details of the Proton Pass security model can be found here, but the company provides the follow quick summary:

Cryptographic details matter, and Proton Pass uses a strong bcrypt password hashing implementation (weak PBKDF2 implementations have made other password managers vulnerable) and a hardened implementation of Secure Remote Password (SRP) for authentication. Proton Pass is also one of the first password managers to include a fully integrated two-factor authenticator (2FA) and supports 2FA autofill. This is meant to make it easier to use 2FA everywhere since its one of the most effective safeguards for your online accounts.

For the time being, access to the beta program is invite-only, and emails are being sent out now. The full public launch is scheduled for "later this year", but Proton has not been specific about when this means.

More information is available here.

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Proton Pass is a new password manager from encryption specialists ... - BetaNews