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Use Frontier Secure PWD™

Technical FAQs

Frontier Secure does not collect any of the personal data you enter into Frontier Secure PWD.

Secured Connection and Encryption 

To protect your sensitive data, Frontier Secure PWD uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES1) with a key size of 256 bits. This algorithm works in the CCM2 mode for encryption

The master encryption key is derived from your master password using the Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2 (PBKDF2) algorithm specified in the Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) #5; in the PBKDF2 algorithm, we use the Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) SHA256, random salts and 20,000 of iterations. This makes it much more difficult to recover the keys through Brute-force or Dictionary attacks, even for weaker passwords.

The encryption key is rebuilt each time you enter your master password. The encryption key and master password are never stored anywhere. When you turn off Frontier Secure PWD, the encryption key is gone.

The data stored in Frontier Secure PWD is encrypted and decrypted only on your own device.

The secure connection between the app and the server uses SSL on whichever device you use. Your information is encrypted at all times between the app and the server. We use TLS/SSL to protect your information during the data transfer process.

1 AES is the recommended standard for modern data encryption.

2 CCM stands for a longer abbreviation:

  • C: is for CTR, short for CounTeR
  • C: is for CBC, short for Cipher Block Chaining
  • M: is for MAC, short for Message Authentication Code

Decryption 

Because of the encryption explained above, we cannot decrypt anything you save in Frontier Secure PWD or hand it over to a third party. As a Frontier Secure PWD user, you are anonymous to Frontier Secure. We cannot identify any individual user's data. We never see your information.

This is how we designed Frontier Secure PWD: with security and anonymity. It's our mission to improve the security of the product and protect the privacy of our customers.

Autofill Your Credentials 

Your device Make Frontier Secure PWD autofill your credentials
PC
  1. Log in to Frontier Secure PWD with your master password.
  2. Go to Settings > General.
  3. Select Enable system autofill or Enable browser autofill (or both) depending on your preferences.
  4. If browser autofill is enabled the program will provide buttons to install the relevant browser extensions and authorization code.
Mac
  1. Log in to Frontier Secure PWD with your master password.
  2. Go to Settings > General.
  3. Select Enable system autofill or Enable browser autofill (or both) depending on your preferences.
  4. If browser autofill is enabled the program will provide buttons to install the relevant browser extensions and authorization code.

Note:

  • Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and earlier: Enable accessibility from System preferences > Accessibility and check Enable access for assistive devices.
  • Mac OS X 10.9 (Maverick) and later: Go to System Preferences > Security and Privacy > Privacy tab. There is a list titled Allow the apps below to control your computer. Drag and drop the fskey executable to that list.
Android device

When you install Frontier Secure PWD, the app introduces its own virtual keyboard on your device.

To use the virtual keyboard, first activate the keyboard in your Android settings as follows:

  1. Go to Settings > Language and Input.
  2. Tap Frontier Secure PWD and OK.

You only need to do this setup once. Once you've set up your Frontier Secure PWD board, you can use this whenever you want to enter logins and passwords in a text input field.

Here's how you can use the Frontier Secure PWD board to fill in your username and password:

  1. Go to the service you want to access.
  2. Tap the Username field.
  3. Swipe down to open up the Notifications menu.
  4. Tap Choose input method and select the Frontier Secure PWD checkbox.
  5. In the bottom left of the screen, tap User & Pwd once, until you see User.
  6. Find the service, and tap it.
  7. Key fills in your username.
  8. Tap the password field.
  9. Swipe down to open up the notifications menu.
  10. Tap Choose input method and select the Frontier Secure PWD checkbox.
  11. In the bottom left of the screen, tap User & Pwd twice, until you see Pwd.
  12. Find the service, and tap it.
  13. Key fills in your password.

Note: The method of switching the keyboard can differ depending on which Android version you have on your device. Check your device manual for further details.

Uninstall Frontier Secure PWD 

To remove Frontier Secure PWD from your computer completely, you must remove both the Frontier Secure PWD application and the local storage (containing logs and passwords). Before you start removing the product, make sure that it is no longer running.

Your device Uninstall Frontier Secure PWD
PC
  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Open Programs & Features.
  3. Find Frontier Secure PWD in the list and right-click the entry, then left-click Uninstall from the given options.
  4. Repeat step 3 with F-Secure Key: User Data.
Mac
  1. Open Finder:
    1. Open the Applications folder.
    2. Open the Utilities folder.
    3. Double-click Terminal.
  2. Use the command line to run the following commands:
    • -rm -r "/Applications/Secure PWD.app" (This removes the application.)
    • -rm -r "~/Library/Application Support/F-Secure/Pwmgr" (This removes the local storage.)
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