Security Basics mailing list archives

RE: ADS Password Storage Protection


From: "Roger A. Grimes" <roger () banneretcs com>
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:55:54 -0400

My conjecture is that franklyidon'tgiveadamn is pretty uncrackable as
well. No complexity, but length prevents it from being easily
broken...non-trivial.  Pull out the complexity and the length is still
insurmountable in most cases.

If you don't believe that then break my 123456789012345 length, no
complexity challenges. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Depp, Dennis M. [mailto:deppdm () ornl gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 8:36 AM
To: winshel () camden rutgers edu; security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: RE: ADS Password Storage Protection

The phrase you gave, "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" meets most
definitions of complexity.  I has upper and lower case letters and
special characters.  

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: winshel () camden rutgers edu [mailto:winshel () camden rutgers edu]
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 12:25 AM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: RE: ADS Password Storage Protection

I've read and heard many sources say this same thing, i.e., that, for
windows systems, length is stronger than short and complex.  And that a
15 character or longer password can be a real phrase and it will be a
secure password.


I can see why a long password that consists of a real phrase - such as
"frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" - would be just as secure as an
equally long complex password, in terms of protection against a brute
force attack.


I don't know much about password cracking programs but am surprised
that, while they would be working  on a brute force attack, they
wouldn't be able to try a lot of commonly-used phrases at the same time.


If some password cracking programs can use a dictionary attack, couldn't
there also be something called a passphrase attack?  Would it be
difficult for a password cracker to digitize Bartlett's Book of
Quotations and include that in an attack on a password? 

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This list is sponsored by: SensePost

Hacking, like any art, will take years of dedicated study and practice
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learned so far. Our courses are honest, real, technical and practical.
SensePost willl be at Black Hat Vegas in July. To see what we're about,
visit us at: 

http://www.sensepost.com/training.html
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