Proton, the Swiss-based company behind ProtonMail, Proton VPN, Proton Drive and Proton Calendar, has launched a new product called Proton Pass. Proton Pass is a secure password manager with what the company claims is a “more complete encryption model” than its competitors. The new password manager features end-to-end encryption of everything users store in it, including passwords, URLs, and notes. Proton Pass uses a 32-byte random vault key that only the user can access, and everything is encrypted at the item level. Even Proton itself can’t access user information.
Proton Pass is the latest expansion for the security company, which recently acquired SimpleLogin, an email alias company, and the new team was responsible for most of Proton Pass’ development. The password manager is currently available as a desktop browser extension, iOS, and Android app. Additionally, Proton Pass can be used as a two-factor authenticator like other password managers.
In a recent blog post, Proton founder and CEO Andy Yen discussed the launch of Proton Pass, stating that passwords are such sensitive information that an insecure password manager is a risk to the Proton community. Yen also referenced the LastPass data breach, stating that if an attacker obtains a user’s password, they can essentially bypass all of Proton Mail’s advanced encryption. Proton Pass aims to prevent such a scenario and provide its users with a secure password management solution.
Proton Pass comes at a time when users are becoming increasingly concerned about the security of their online accounts, and it enters the market after a major password manager, LastPass, was hacked last year. This security breach exposed customer metadata and third-party integration secrets. ProtonMail has taken this issue seriously and developed a password manager that is more secure than its competitors.
The Proton Pass beta will initially be available to Lifetime and Visionary users, with invites being rolled out over the next week. The company plans to launch Proton Pass publicly later this year. For those interested in trying out the beta, they can look out for the beta invite in their Proton Mail inbox.
ProtonMail also has a landing page dedicated to Proton Pass where interested parties can keep an eye out for the latest updates.
