Understanding Binary Component in Lastpass

Tech Talk Software
1

Recently I had posted a question about exporting the Lastpass vault for backup and received some good answers. When I went to export, I couldn’t. I found out through looking at Lastpass support and forums that I didn’t have the binary component loaded. I have two questions regarding this.

  1. Why isn’t the binary component included when you download last pass?

  2. My Mac was giving notification that the lastpass software is “trying to run the computer” (Security and Privacy tab)

I ended up deleting the extensions I had for Safari and Firefox and re-downloaded but was more curious at this point why it isn’t included.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

2

So this looks a native app that you would install on your OS and provides a way of syncing multiple systems together and provides some more advanced features. It would not be installed by just installing the browser extensions. LogMeIn describes it as the native messaging component.

https://support.logmeininc.com/lastpass/help/what-is-the-binary-component-in-lastpass-lp010136

3

Hmmm, I think some (or even a large part) of what is written on that note is out of date. In Chrome (on Windows), I have:

And yet I am able to do export without any issue. I am also able to do other things on that list in Firefox without having the binary portion. I think the latest additional powers of JavaScript have largely made the need for the binary component moot and I explicitly WILL NOT install it. (I do NOT want browser sync, and I can live without any of the minor features that go missing.)

4

So I uninstalled extensions etc, Re-downloaded from Lastpass and have 4.51 and True. Maybe with Chrome/Windows it is false. I didn’t download binary component. That’s on Safari Extension. On Firefox extension it indicates 4.51 and False.

5

If you download the file direct from LastPass, that is how you get the binary component. (In essence the installer installed the binary component first, then looks for any browsers installed to add the extension to.) If you just get the extension in the browser (using the tool in the browser to locate extensions) then you will not get the binary component.