Xref: utzoo comp.unix.questions:8040 comp.misc:2741
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!steinmetz!davidsen
From: davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Password choices
Keywords: passwords
Message-ID: <11470@steinmetz.ge.com>
Date: 6 Jul 88 13:57:46 GMT
References: <4387@ptsfa.PacBell.COM>
Reply-To: davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 26

In article <4387@ptsfa.PacBell.COM> jmc@ptsfa.PacBell.COM (Jerry Carlin) writes:
| Somewhere I remember hearing or reading that someone did a study
| about typical (bad) password choices and/or what consituted good
| password choices. Can anyone give me references? Thanks in advance.

  My suggestion is to chose a random sentence from a book and use the
first letters. Alternatively, pick a sentence of your own. Example:
	passwd		sentence
	iutpotm		I use this password on this machine
	athwamw		Atilla the Hun was a mighty warrior

This makes it VERY hard for someone to look over your shoulder and steal
a password, guess a password, etc. In addition, most people who have
tried it find it is slightly easier to remember than a single word.

My favorite password (from a system with 12 char passwords)
	sssiacosbikb	some say security is a crock of shit but I know
			better


If you type in an environment where someone might watch as you type, be
sure you choose a password which can be typed reasonably quickly.
-- 
	bill davidsen		(wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
  {uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me