Password Safe with Vim and OpenSSL

Vim can actually make a very nice password safe. All you have to do is allow Vim to read OpenSSL encrypted files. This is easy with this plugin. The only external requirement besides Vim is that you have openssl installed. This works on any Unix platform or Windows with Cygwin.

Edit encrypted files with Vim

This Vim plugin will allow editing of files encrypted with OpenSSL. It recognizes the encryption type based on the file extension. For example:

 .des3 .aes .bf .bfa .idea .cast .rc2 .rc4 .rc5
 (.bfa is base64 ASCII encoded blowfish.)

This plugin will turn off the swap file and .viminfo log. So, you don't have to worry about Vim leaking the contents of the encrypted file through a swap file or through registers.

Install

Put this in your plugin directory and Vim will automatically load it:

   ~/.vim/plugin/openssl.vim

You can start by editing an empty unencrypted file with a .bfa extension. When you first write the file you will be asked to give it a password. When you save the file opensll will ask you for a password. The file will be encrypted with the Blowfish cipher and base64 ASCII encoded.

Simple password safe

If you edit any file named .auth.bfa (full name, not just the extension) then this plugin will add folding features and an automatic quit timeout.

Vim will quit automatically after 5 minutes of no typing activity (unless the file has been changed).

This plugin will fold on wiki-style headlines with the following form:

   == This is a headline ==

Any notes under the headline will be inside the fold until the next headline is reached. The SPACE key will toggle a fold open and closed. The q key will quit Vim. Create the following example file named ~/.auth.bfa:

   == Colo server ==
   username: maryjane
   password: esydpm
   == Office server ==
   username: peter
   password: 4m4z1ng

Then create a bash alias:

   alias auth='view ~/.auth.bfa'

Now you can view your password safe by typing "auth". When Vim starts all the password information will be hidden under the headlines. To view the password information put the cursor on the headline and press SPACE.

Download openssl.vim <include svncat src="file:///home/svn/src/dotfiles/.vim/plugin/openssl.vim" />