Introduction
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Passro
is a keyboard macro program designed to make storing a large selection
of
macros as easy and seamless as possible. Passro’s novel design allows
users to
have 36 custom macros simultaneously available on any keyboard with an
unlimited amount more available by switching between dictionaries.
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Passro
works by providing users dictionaries
that associate letters and numbers with character segments or
functions. For
example one possible dictionary can associate “a” with “alpha”, “b”
with
“bravo”, “1” with “one” and so on for all letters and numbers. Users
can create
and customize their own dictionaries by using the built in dictionary
editor.
When a user wants to use their macros, they activate Passro by pressing
a
hotkey combination, press the desired keys, and turn Passro off by
pressing the
hotkey combination again. When Passro is on, each key press is
substituted with
the association found in the active dictionary. This is called active substitution. If the user enters
“abc123” with the example dictionary selected, the program will
automatically
substitute each character, as it's entered, which will result in
“alphabravocharlieonetwothree”.
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Passro
also makes it easy to associate keys
with shortcuts to programs, files, folders, websites, and key combos
that
include Control, Shift, and Alt. This
allows users to link all their commonly
accessed websites, files,
directories, programs, and even key macros with a key in a dictionary.
Due to
its simple design and ability to map 36 functions in each dictionary,
Passro
allows you to save a lot of time on basic tasks. A single dictionary
can also
have different types of associations meaning that in a single
dictionary the G
key might open Google, N will open Notepad, D will open your Documents
folder,
and A will be your address.
Passro’s
unique hotkey system distinguishes itself from other software by having
one
customizable button combination result in every alphanumeric key on the
keyboard acting as its own macro. That means that instead of pressing
Ctrl+R+T
to use one macro and then Ctrl+T+H for another, a user can simply
activate the
active substitution and then press R for one macro and T for another
without
having to worry about interference with any program.
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Passro
also features a Clipboard Manager
that integrates directly into the macro system. You can copy an item
into your
clipboard, associate it with a key by clicking on the desired
alphanumeric
character in the Clipboard Manager, and then access it by making the
Clipboard
Manager your active dictionary. This allows you to store up to 36 items
at a
time in a temporary dictionary, which can be both quickly and easily
updated as
needed.
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Features
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Better
Passwords
The
features provided by Passro
enable users to easily increase the security of their networks.
Passro’s unique
macro system allows users to type in simple passwords into websites and
programs, while the active substitution
replaces each character with longer segments. Getting users to
associate each
key with a longer character segment results in the following benefits:
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Longer and More
Secure Passwords
– substituting an entire word for each
character of a password makes the new passwords
significantly longer and
thus more secure. If we use the example dictionary where “a” is
associated with
“alpha”, “b” with “bravo”, “c” with “charlie”, “1” with “one”, “2” with
“two”,
and “3” with “three”, then typing in “abc123” will result in a much
longer
entry. The resultant password
“alphabravocharlieonetwothree”
is 22 characters longer than the original password (“abc123”) from
which it was
derived. To put the extent of the security increase from this process
in
perspective: a 12 character password is roughly 308,915,776 times
stronger than
a 6 character password.
Easy to Remember –
Because
users
choose their passwords rather than have them being generated
or assigned
to them, it is still fairly simple for users to memorize the entire
length of
their password should they need to log in from a system that does not
have
Passro installed. The ability for users to create their own
dictionaries also
makes it possible for users to create intuitive passwords that consist
of terms
that they are the most likely to remember. An added benefit is that the
human
brain is much more suited for memorizing chains of words than
incomprehensible
arrays of characters, even if the words are modified. For example the
password
“At0mEpsi!onEpsi!on” is significantly easier to memorize than say “$f+TPHDe$j5R[9#*|m”
even though both are the same
length. This means that users don’t have to struggle to memorize long
passwords, even though they are still secure.
Quick Entry –
Longer
and more
secure passwords also take less time to enter using Passro which makes
sure
that the increase in security doesn't come at the cost of efficiency or
convenience.
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Productivity
Users
can
apply the program to
automate more than just passwords. They can use the character
substitution
feature to automate many other processes. For example, the user can
create a
dictionary that contains the information that is usually required to
fill out
forms, such as their name and address, and be able to fill in each
information
field with a single key press. Users can also employ Passro's shortcut
functionality to drastically increase the speed and convince of their
daily
routines, such as launching multiple applications opening multiple
files
simultaneously.
To further increase
productivity Passro’s Clipboard Manager allows you copy items into a
temporary
dictionary that can be accessed just like any of your Passro
dictionaries. This
feature replaces the need for more complex clipboard managers, having
to recopy
text whenever it’s needed, or store temporary text in a word or text
file for
when it’s needed.
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Secure
Storage
Because
of
the
sensitive nature
of passwords, especially in a corporate environment, Passro employs a
variety
of techniques to maintain the security of its data and operations. The
first
step employed is to give users the option to encrypt their dictionaries
with
the government standard AES-256 encryption algorithm. Passro will then
require
the user to authenticate themselves before they are able to access
Passro's
assisted entry feature or view/edit their dictionaries. With the
dictionaries
encrypted, no one can use or view your dictionaries without the
password. The
second step is the option to lock Passro automatically after a certain
amount
of idle time (if a password is set).
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Safer
Password entry
A
benefit
of
using Passro is
that it prevents potential infiltrators form attaining users' passwords
by
observing the key sequence that a user enters on their keyboard. This
is
especially beneficial for users who use terminals that are exposed to
the
public such as security guards and receptionists. Unlike password
saving
and auto-substituting software, Passro doesn’t store passwords as
discrete units
and doesn’t automatically substitute entire passwords. This way if the
dictionary is somehow compromised or an unauthorized user is on the
system they
won’t have easy access to any of your credentials.
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Business
Security
Passro’s functionality extends
far beyond the end-user’s experience, however. For corporate/business
environments the benefits of Passro are maximized when network
administrators
integrate Passro into their compliance protocols. This would assure all
users
within the network can take full advantage of Passro’s functionality
and
increase both their own data security and the security of the network.
There
are many simple ways to enforce the new compliance protocols ranging
from
actions as simple as informing users about the program and requiring
password
lengths (>10 characters) that are longer than what would have
previously
been typical. Network administrators could also make users create an
initial
dictionary and require them to use it as they select their initial
passwords.
These two examples are only some of the many simple compliance
protocols that
network administrators could use to get the maximum security benefits
out of
Passro. It is also important to note that these compliance protocols
are likely
to be much less cumbersome for users than many of the protocols that
are
already used in the industry.
*All trademarks, trade names, and logos
appearing on the site are the property of their respective
owners. Passro software does not come bundled with any
additional software. |
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