Cloud-based active password manager
Methods and systems for periodically generating and managing passwords for one or more websites of users are disclosed. The users are provided with the ability to automatically replace their old passwords with new passwords for their one or more website accounts. The users can set a pre-determined frequency at which their passwords are to be updated and replaced with new passwords. The users can further define additional one or more rules based on which their passwords are updated. The methods and systems are further configured to auto log into user's website accounts with the updated passwords.
1. A computer-implemented method for managing passwords using a remote password manager server communicating with a client device to provide log-in credentials permitting access to a remote web server using a web browser, the method comprising:
registering the client device with the password manager server using an activation ID;
specifying one or more websites requiring passwords to be managed by the password manager server and security parameters associated with each website;
synchronizing the password manager server and the client device;
identifying, by the password manager server, in a software code of a webpage of a website accessed from the remote web server by the client device one or more keywords matching one or more field keywords in a list of field keywords, the list of field keywords comprising field keywords identifying a login field and a change password field;
parsing, by the password manager server, the software code of the webpage based upon one or more matches between the one or more keywords in the code of the webpage and the list of field keywords;
identifying, by the password manager server, in the software code of the webpage a formatting tag associated with each of one or more matched keywords from the list of field keywords, each formatting tag matching one or more formatting tags in a list of formatting tags;
inputting, by the password manager server, one or more data inputs into one or more fields of the webpage respectively, the one or more fields identified by the one or more field keywords matching the one or more keywords in the code of the webpage, wherein each respective data input is based upon the formatting tag associated with the field keyword that identifies the respective field, and wherein at least one data input is a new password for the website account;
generating, the password manager server, a record associated with the website in a password manager database, the record containing information pertaining to the new password of the website account, wherein the information comprises at least the one or more matched keywords and the formatting tags associated with each input field;
generating, by the password manager server, one or more new data inputs based upon the information stored in the record; and
inputting, by the password manager server, the one or more new data inputs into the one or more fields of the webpage according to the formatting tag associated with each respective field, thereby updating the password for the website.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising sending, by the password manager server, a request to a webserver to download one or more web pages of the website.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the software code of the website is selected one or more from the group consisting of: HTML (Hypertext markup language), XML (eXtensible markup language), PHP, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, ASP, and ASP.NET.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the list of one or more field keywords are stored in the password manager database, and wherein the list of field keywords comprises a first set of field keywords and a second set of field keywords.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein a field keyword in the first set of field keywords is selected from the group consisting of: “password”, “reset”, “user”, “panel”, “old password”, “confirm password”, and “change”.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein a field keyword in the second set of field keywords is selected from the group consisting of “login”, “signin”, and “sign-in”.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the formatting tag in the list of formatting tags is selected from the group consisting: a link tag, a form tag, an image tag, and a text tag.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein identifying the formatting tag further comprises:
responsive to the password manager server determining that the formatting tag is a link tag comprising a URL address:
accessing, by the password manager server, a new webpage using the URL address of the link tag; and
parsing, by the password manager server, the new webpage using the list of one or more field keywords and the list of one or more formatting tags.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the registering step further comprising:
creating a userID and a master password for the client device on the password manager server;
creating the activation ID by the password manager server, the activation ID having a pre-defined lifespan for its use;
communicating the activation ID to the client device directly; and
using the activation ID received by the client device to enable the synchronization of the client device and the password manager server.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the new password for the website is never stored on non-transitory machine-readable storage media.
11. A network based client-server processing system for managing passwords using a remote password manager server communicating with a client device to provide log-in credentials permitting access to a remote web server using a web browser, the system comprising:
a password manager database hosted on one or more computing devices comprising non-transitory machine-readable storage media, the password manager database configured to store one or more records of one or more accounts, a list of one or more field keywords identifying data fields in software code of a webpage, and a list of one or more formatting tags indicating format rules for a data field; and
the password manager server comprising a processor configured to:
accepting registration of the client device with the password manager server using an activation ID;
receiving specification of one or more websites requiring passwords to be managed by the password manager server and security parameters associated with each website;
synchronizing the password manager server and the client device;
identify, in the software code of the webpage of a website, one or more field keywords identifying one or more respective data fields, using the list of field keywords, wherein the one or more field keywords identified in the webpage comprises a login field and a change password field;
identify, in the software code of the webpage, using the list of formatting tags, one or more formatting tags for each respective data field identified by the one or more field keywords in webpage;
provide a data input into each of the one or more data fields in the webpage in accordance with the formatting rules for the respective data field, wherein at least one data input is a new password for the website account; and
generate a record associated with the website in the password manager database, the record containing information pertaining to the new password of the website account, and the information comprising the one or more field keywords in the webpage and each formatting tag associated with each data field identified by the one or more field keywords.
12. The network based client-server processing system of claim 11 , wherein the password manager is further configured to send a request to a webserver to download one or more web pages of the website.
13. The network based client-server processing system of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the software code of the website is selected from the group consisting of: HTML (Hypertext markup language), XML (eXtensible markup language), PHP, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, ASP, and ASP.NET.
14. The network based client-server processing system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more list of field keywords comprises a first set of field keywords and a second set of field keywords, and wherein the list of one or more field keywords are stored in the password manager database.
15. The network based client-server processing system of claim 14 , wherein a field keyword in the first set of field keywords is selected from the group consisting of: “password”, “reset”, “user”, “panel”, “old password”, “confirm password”, and “change”.
16. The network based client-server processing system of claim 14 , wherein a field keyword in the second set of field keywords is selected from the group consisting of “login”, “sign in”, and “sign-in”.
17. The network based client-server processing system of claim 11 , wherein the formatting tag in the list of formatting tags is selected from the group consisting: a link tag, a form tag, an image tag, and a text tag.
18. The network based client-server processing system of claim 11 , wherein the new password for the website is never stored on non-transitory machine-readable storage media.