Vault
A vault is the encrypted container where a password manager stores all of a user's items: passwords, OTP codes, cards, identities and notes. It can only be opened with the user's master password.
In the context of a password manager, a 'vault' is the encrypted container that groups together everything a user has saved: passwords, OTP codes, cards, identities and secure notes.
A vault's real security depends on two things: the encryption algorithm used to protect its content, and how the key that opens it is derived and protected from the user's master password. A well-designed vault follows a zero-knowledge architecture: only the user, with their master password, can derive the key needed to decrypt it.
In V4ult, each user's vault groups together passwords, OTP codes, cards, identities and secure notes. Its content is encrypted field-by-field with AES-256-GCM on-device, and the vault's symmetric key is protected by wrapping it with a key derived locally from the master password via PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 (600,000 iterations).
Advantages
- Centralizes all of a user's secrets in a single encrypted container
- Lets you use one strong master password instead of dozens of weak ones
- Its security can be audited independently of the rest of the product
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is a password manager's vault?
It's the encrypted container where all of a user's items are stored (passwords, OTP codes, cards, identities, notes). It can only be opened by deriving the right key from the user's master password.
What does V4ult's vault store?
Passwords, OTP codes, virtual credit cards, identification documents and secure notes, all encrypted field-by-field with AES-256-GCM.