Are Pa55.W0rd5 Dead? How long and complex should a password be?
At what point does it become effectively uncrackable? Time out:
Look at that opening paragraph. It's 87 characters long, but it
could be your password to your Microsoft Windows system. Yes,
even with the spaces in it. Technically, this has become known
as a "passphrase." Robert Hensing, a member of Microsoft's
Security Incident Response Team, has written in his blog ( http:
//blogs.msdn.com/robert_hensing/archive/2004/07/28/199610.aspx )
that you shouldn't use passwords any more for Windows systems;
you should use passphrases. The blog entry has generated a lot
of interest on security lists. Many agree with Hensing, and
there's a lot I like about the idea. The discussions also raised
my awareness that there are cracking tools for Windows passwords
which do things you might not believe possible. That first
paragraph might not make a good passphrase because it's not very
memorable. But let's say you're a Deadhead: "It's just a box of
rain, I don't k