Develop a secure password manager that allows users to store and retrieve their passwords for different accounts. Implementation: Use Java to build a command-line or GUI-based application that encrypts and securely stores user passwords, providing functionality for retrieval when needed.
Password Manager
The goal of this project is to develop a secure password manager that allows users to store and retrieve their passwords for different accounts. The password manager will be implemented using Java and can be either a command-line or GUI-based application. The passwords will be encrypted and securely stored to ensure the safety and privacy of the user's sensitive information.
The application should provide a user registration feature where new users can create an account by providing a username and a master password. The master password will be used to encrypt and decrypt the stored passwords.
Once registered, users should be able to log in to the password manager using their username and master password combination.
The application should allow users to store passwords for their various accounts. Each stored password should be associated with a label or identifier to indicate the account it belongs to (e.g., "Gmail," "Facebook," "Bank Account," etc.). The passwords should be encrypted before being stored in the application's database or file system.
Users should be able to retrieve their stored passwords by providing the associated account label or identifier. The application should decrypt the password and display it to the user.
The password manager should provide a feature to generate strong and secure passwords. The user can specify the desired length and complexity of the password (e.g., uppercase, lowercase, digits, special characters) and the application will generate a random password that meets the criteria.
The passwords stored in the application should be encrypted using a secure encryption algorithm, such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). The encryption key should be derived from the user's master password.
The application should implement security measures to protect against potential threats, such as brute-force attacks, dictionary attacks, and password guessing. This can include techniques like password salting, hashing, and enforcing strong password policies.
If a GUI-based application is chosen, the user interface should be intuitive and easy to use. It should provide clear options for registration, login, password storage, retrieval, and password generation.
The application should handle errors gracefully and provide informative error messages to the user in case of incorrect login credentials, database/file access issues, or other potential errors.
Thoroughly test the application to ensure its functionality, security, and usability. Write test cases to cover different scenarios and edge cases, such as handling incorrect passwords, testing encryption and decryption, and validating password generation.
Provide clear and comprehensive documentation that explains the application's features, installation instructions, usage guidelines, and any additional information required for users to understand and utilize the password manager effectively.
Implement a feature that analyzes the strength of the user's passwords based on factors like length, complexity, and common patterns. Provide suggestions for improving weak passwords.
Add an additional layer of security by implementing two-factor authentication (2FA), such as using SMS codes or authenticator apps.
Implement the ability to sync encrypted password data securely across multiple devices using cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Allow users to set an expiration period for their stored passwords. Prompt users to renew their passwords periodically for improved security.