A stronger alternative to password manager emergency access
Naming one emergency contact is better than nothing. Requiring a group you choose is better still, and it does not depend on any company staying online.
How emergency access usually works
Several password managers offer an emergency access feature. The shape is similar across them. You designate a trusted contact, that contact can request access, and after a waiting period they are let in unless you decline. It runs through the provider’s servers, and in most cases the contact needs an account with the same service.
The single contact problem
A lone designated contact is a single point of failure in both directions. If they turn out to be the wrong person to trust, there is no second check. If they are simply unreachable when the moment comes, there is no fallback.
What splitting into pieces changes
HeirLock does not pick one gatekeeper. It splits your secret into separate pieces shared among several people, and lets you decide how many of them must come together to unlock it.
- check_circleNo single person can act alone, because one piece reveals nothing on its own.
- check_circleNo single absence blocks recovery, because you only need the number of pieces you chose, such as three of five.
- check_circleThere is no waiting period controlled by a third party. Your chosen people decide together when to bring their pieces together.
It is the same proven approach used to protect high value secrets, where a secret is split into pieces and several are needed to bring it back. You can read how it works in plain language.
Offline, with no second subscription
Emergency access ties your plan to a provider’s servers and, often, to a paid plan. HeirLock runs on your device with no account, so there is no central system to breach and no subscription that has to keep being paid for the plan to stay valid. The people you trust do not need to be customers of anything.
Use both, for different jobs
This is not really a fight with your password manager. Keep using it for daily logins. Use HeirLock for the small set of secrets that matter most and for the question of who can reach them if you cannot. Together they cover both the everyday and the what if. For the bigger picture, see digital inheritance.
Emergency access questions
How is HeirLock different from 1Password or Bitwarden emergency access?
Emergency access in a password manager usually names one trusted contact who can request access and is granted it after a waiting period, all through that company's servers. HeirLock instead splits your secret into separate pieces shared among several people, and requires a number of them you choose to cooperate, with everything running offline on your device.
Does my family need an account to receive a piece?
No. A HeirLock piece is self contained, and you hand it to someone you trust. They do not need to sign up for the same service or create an account to hold it.
What if one of my trusted people is unavailable when the secret is needed?
That is exactly why you require fewer pieces than the total. With a three of five setup, any three of the five can recover the secret, so one or two people being unreachable does not lock everyone out.
Is a single emergency contact safe enough?
It depends on your trust in that one person and that one company. A single designated contact is also a single point of failure. Splitting the secret into pieces spreads that trust, so no lone person can act alone and no single absence blocks recovery.
Replace the single contact with a circle of trust
HeirLock lets a group you choose recover your most important secrets, with no waiting period set by anyone else. Free and offline.
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