Salasanahaut

Salasanahaut is a Finnish term used in information security to describe password managers—software that securely stores and organizes credentials for websites, applications, and services. The term translates roughly to “password vaults.” These tools keep passwords in an encrypted database and require a master password or passphrase to unlock access. Many solutions also support multi-factor authentication and, in some cases, zero-knowledge architectures, where the service provider cannot read the stored passwords.

How they work: A user creates a single master password that is used to derive cryptographic keys to encrypt the vault. Key derivation functions such as Argon2 or PBKDF2, along with a unique salt, protect against offline guessing. Data at rest is typically encrypted with AES-256. When synchronization is enabled, vault data can be transmitted and stored across devices in a way that remains encrypted end-to-end, depending on the provider’s model.

Common features include secure password generation, autofill for browsers and apps, secure notes, attachments, and cross-device synchronization. Team or enterprise versions may offer secure password sharing, access controls, and activity auditing.

Security considerations: The security of a salasanahaut relies on the strength of the master password, the use of MFA, and the trust model of the provider. Users should enable MFA, keep software updated, back up vaults securely, and be cautious of phishing attempts targeting master credentials. Some users prefer open-source or independently audited solutions for greater transparency.

See also: password manager, encryption, zero-knowledge architecture, multi-factor authentication, KeePass, 1Password, LastPass.