Re: How do you conduct a password audit?

["S.k" <skrjsa () gmail com>]

yes,that's very true.non-tech guys even at the higher posts are  
irritatingly ignorant about security issues!anyway,may be you can try  
recreating your network environment in vmware and do some recordings of  
weak and strong password cracking attempts...and then show it to the top  
management guys!
for password auditing not only the technical aspects ,training employees  
against social engineering and safe online behavior is also very important.

On Fri, 13 May 2011 22:58:21 +0530, Matthew Reed <mreed () cgx com> wrote:

> Speaking from a safe practice perspective:
>
> Before ANY passwords are cracked, you should have specific permission  
> from the highest possible source of management. This permission should  
> be documented in writing.
>
> Once permission has been granted, any passwords that have been cracked  
> should be set for automatic password change by the user. If this is not  
> in place there can be issues with repudiation of any security incidents.  
> i.e. It has happened in the past that users who violated company  
> policies/legal statutes were able to avoid sanctions by claiming that  
> the integrity of their account was compromised by password audits.
>
> These 2 practices will help anyone auditing passwords avoid potential  
> issues.
>
>
> MR
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]  
> On Behalf Of Edd Burgess
> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 10:14 AM
> To: security-basics () securityfocus com
> Subject: Re: How do you conduct a password audit?
>
> I have seen an automatic audit setup on a linux server before as a cron
> job; just running john the ripper against the shadow file once a week
> and storing any weak results so the sysadmin can contact the relative  
> users.
>
> In other words, if you are worried about broaching the subject with
> management, try to crack the passwords yourself - In my experience,
> non-techs are more convinced by actual evidence; 'I managed to crack
> your password in 3mins' than any amount of advice/information you can
> throw at them. I had to actually ARP poison my boss and sniff an FTP
> password to convince him to let me secure our office wifi!
>
>
> On 13/05/2011 12:47, wyfr1972 () gmail com wrote:
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > I have many questions on this.  I've learnt a lot from SecBasics, but  
> > now I have a few questions of my own.  I want to carry out a password  
> > audit for my company, but I'm not sure how to proceed.
> >
> > Firstly, how do I broach the subject with management? Are there are  
> > standards/methodologies online that I can use to back up my request to  
> > management?
> >
> > Then, how do you conduct the audit? We have a mix of devices  
> > Windows/Solaris/Unix/Checkpoint/Cisco/network printers/etc.
> >
> > How do I phase the work for best effect?  How do I present my findings?
> >
> > Thanks for your advice and help in advance.
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Securing Apache Web Server with thawte Digital Certificate
In this guide we examine the importance of Apache-SSL and who needs an SSL certificate.  We look at how SSL works, how 
it benefits your company and how your customers can tell if a site is secure. You will find out how to test, purchase, 
install and use a thawte Digital Certificate on your Apache web server. Throughout, best practices for set-up are 
highlighted to help you ensure efficient ongoing management of your encryption keys and digital certificates.

http://www.dinclinx.com/Redirect.aspx?36;4175;25;1371;0;5;946;e13b6be442f727d1
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