How I Handle Sensitive Information
Handling sensitive information is a part of building automations. At some point, I’m going to need access to your CRM, email platform, or other service to get the job done. Here’s how I like to get this done without losing sleep over security.
Invite Me As A User
This is easily the best choice. Most platforms allow you to give a user access to your account without giving them your password. This gives you greater control over what and when they can access.
Use A Password Manager
When inviting a user isn’t possible, the next best thing is to use a password manager like 1Password. These tools make it easy to share sensitive information for brief periods of time with minimal risk. In situations where I’ll need ongoing access, I usually recommend setting up a shared vault or folder in a password manager that contains the necessary information, that way if information needs to be changed, anyone with access is automatically updated.
One Time Secret
No password manager? Okay, we can use a service like One Time Secret to share information. You simply paste in the required information and bingo, a link is created for you to share with me. One Time Secret also let’s you set a password and/or expiration time which is a nice bonus!
A Few Things
- Don’t Disable 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) – I know those little codes sent to your device are annoying but they keep everything secure. If an account I need access to has 2FA enabled, leave it on and we’ll deal with it as needed. Some password managers handle 2FA internally so that’s another plus for them.
- Sign In with Google – Funny enough, using the “Sign In with Google” option, while convenient, ends up really hurting you in situations like this. The only way to share the login for accounts using this method would be to share your Google account credentials, which isn’t great. That’s why, whenever possible, I recommend using a unique username and password for every account versus the “Sign In with Google” option.
Bottom line: I take this stuff seriously because I know you do too. Let’s use the most secure option that actually works for your situation.