How to send a password safely

A colleague needs the Wi-Fi password, a relative needs the code of a shared account, a client needs temporary access. The reflex is to send it by text message or email. The problem: the password then stays in the conversation, on several devices and sometimes in cloud backups, for years.

Why messages and emails are a bad idea

• Everything is kept: the message stays in the history of both people, and in their backups.
• A stolen phone or hacked account reveals every password ever sent.
• Screenshots and forwards spread the password without you knowing.

The solution: a self-destructing note

A secret note is a message that can be read only once. You write the password, you get a link, you send the link. As soon as your contact opens it, the note is destroyed: the link no longer works and nothing remains on the server.

Step by step with BoxToss

1. Open the secret note and type the password.
2. Choose how long it lives: 1 hour, 24 hours or 7 days if nobody opens it.
3. For extra safety, add a password to the note and send it through another channel (a phone call, for example).
4. Copy the link and send it. Once read, the note disappears forever.

Why it is safe

The note is encrypted in your browser before it leaves. The key is in the part of the link after « # », which is never sent to our servers: even we cannot read your note.

Good habits

• Change a shared password once the person no longer needs it.
• Use a different, strong password for each service; our password generator can help.