Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!uxc!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!gistdev!flint
From: flint@gistdev.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Password security - Another idea
Message-ID: <8800009@gistdev>
Date: 11 Jan 89 16:03:00 GMT
References: <228@sea375.UUCP>
Lines: 11
Nf-ID: #R:sea375.UUCP:228:gistdev:8800009:000:697
Nf-From: gistdev.UUCP!flint    Jan 11 10:03:00 1989


I really don't see why the encrytion can't allow you to use longer phrases
as your password: When limited to 8 characters, you have to do weird things
to it (include punctuation, strange vowel combinations, etc.)  to make it
secure because if you just type in an 8 character English language word it
is too easy to crack it.  People can remember phrases just as easily as
words: if my password could be "The quick brown fox Jumped over the lazy
dog" I could type it quickly so onlookers couldn't match it, I could
remember it a lot easier than "qw12;Vwe", and with that length I could get
a secure result: all I have to remember is the phrase and one or two
quirks like that the J is capitalized.