Maybe these is a more convenient way to implement this, but a primitive solution is to use a password manager, create multiple files containing the same master password, each of those files encrypted by one of the alternative passwords.
Safety deposit boxes are one solution to this problem: write the password down on a piece of paper and pass the job of identity verification off to the bank. This solution can also serve as an alternative to backing things up online: keep one external drive in the bank and one at home, swapping them with enough regularity that you avoid total losses.
This approach does have some downsides:
-Relies on your bank’s identity verification methods.
-Not accessible remotely (this is the primary reason it is safe).
-Requires you to physically go to a bank to make use of it (can be a large enough trivial inconvenience to prevent regularly swapping the external drives)
It also has pros:
-Can set up access for next of kin without giving them current access.
-Immune to the sorts of attacks that scale.
-Gives you physical access to something that won’t burn down in a house fire.
The solution to forgetting passwords is to have multiple alternative passphrases that unlock the same critical thing.
Maybe these is a more convenient way to implement this, but a primitive solution is to use a password manager, create multiple files containing the same master password, each of those files encrypted by one of the alternative passwords.
Safety deposit boxes are one solution to this problem: write the password down on a piece of paper and pass the job of identity verification off to the bank. This solution can also serve as an alternative to backing things up online: keep one external drive in the bank and one at home, swapping them with enough regularity that you avoid total losses.
This approach does have some downsides:
-Relies on your bank’s identity verification methods.
-Not accessible remotely (this is the primary reason it is safe).
-Requires you to physically go to a bank to make use of it (can be a large enough trivial inconvenience to prevent regularly swapping the external drives)
It also has pros:
-Can set up access for next of kin without giving them current access.
-Immune to the sorts of attacks that scale.
-Gives you physical access to something that won’t burn down in a house fire.