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I know that passwords should not be stored for decryption, but what if it’s required? So I am wondering how do mail clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.) encrypt\store passwords for sending and checking mail (I do believe they do it safely enough). In general, what are the good practices for storing user’s mail password to save him time entering it every time he wants to send the email?
My passwords are only for email accounts.
If memory serves, Outlook at least used to use Windows Protected Storage. I haven’t checked, but I’d guess that the current version(s) use CryptProtectData and company.
To answer a sort-of-implied question: I haven’t looked as carefully at
CryptProtectData, but Windows Protected Storage was not really very secure as a general rule (i.e., tools were/are available that would typically show its contents in a matter of minutes, if not seconds).