I’m aware of what constitutes a decent password, but typing in 15-30 random characters each time I lock my computer screen is starting to get a bit taxing.
How secure does my user password really need to be and what are the threats to it? Does the same apply to a root-enabled user as a “regular” user when it comes to password security?
For context, my threat model doesn’t need to account for real people breaking in and accessing my computer, the damage would be very contained.
Bonus question - what are the risks of having a weak password on a root user on a spare laptop on the same network as my main device that is used exclusively for web browsing? Thanks.
Using random characters is dumb.
It incetivices you to write it down (which in and of itself isn’t a completely terrible idea).
As an IT guy, let me tell you, STOP using random passwords!
Use passphrases instead, it is far easier to remember a sentence than a random string of letters and numbers.
I just memorize 8 characters of gibberish. It is fast to type in.
I have also used a hybrid approach which is 2-3 words with ransom numbers and symbols
https://xkcd.com/936/
One can also mix in numbers and symbols and capital letters with their passphrase / sentence. Throw in a comma, exclamation mark, replace an l with 1, o with 0, etc. of course it’s diminishing returns with a sufficiently long passphrase but it can help against dictionary type attacks by adding additional mutations / steps to the cracking.
Years ago I worked at a company where they based server root/admin passwords on song lyrics. The person who came up with it clearly liked classic rock. I still remember at least one of them:
4ThoseAboutToRockWeSaluteYou!
Lyrics are a pretty good base. Especially in passphrase style with spaces if supported, along with punctuation and capitals/numbers. What sucks is when an account system can’t support a long password. That’s the most frustrating requirement for any service and the greatest vulnerability of all the common restrictions.
“nobody can crack this password in a million years” in pretty strong
That statement misses the advancement of technology
Use a password manager instead.
Very inconvenient for a PC login. Also, you need a password you can remember for your password manager at least
Yeah, but you still need a password you can remember to unlock the password manager
Yes, but the problem is memorizing multiple passwords not one. The majority of ppl is able to memorize a single complicated password.
Yeah that’s my preferred method too. Bitwarden’s password generator can create passphrases too, so I have it just create random ones for pretty much everything. The only ones I have to remember are the ones to unlock Bitwarden itself, and the one to unlock the decryption when I boot my PC up. So like two sentences essentially. I literally don’t even know what the passwords are to anything else lol.
Not to mention that if you want to type it in somewhere ( like your car for a Spotify account or whatever ) a passphrase like
Hunter7-Tower-Ballsy9is easier to type than some random gibberish with special chars.Battery horse staple
Correct!
I was twaching a class on how to use my company’s software, and I used this comic as an example for the class, and someone said “Hey, that’s the password we use!”
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make 'em battery staple.
Agreed - the message I was trying to convey is that I use a very secure password, which sacrifices convenience for security - is this necessary though? I have no concerns related to memorising or particular difficulties typing it out as it follows a passphrase structure for the most part.
If your password was “is this necessary though” it’s easy to remember and not difficult at all to type