Editing 936: Password Strength
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | Computer security consultant Mark Burnett has posted a [http://xato.net/passwords/analyzing-the-xkcd-comic/ discussion and analysis] of this comic on his blog. | |
− | + | This comic is saying that the password in the top frames "Tr0ub4dor&3" is easier for password cracking software to guess because it has less entropy than "correcthorsebatterystaple" and also more difficult for a human to remember, leading to insecure practices like writing the password down on a post-it attached to the monitor. | |
− | A truly random string of length 11 (not like "Tr0ub4dor&3", but more like "J4I/tyJ&Acy") has | + | In simple cases the {{w|Entropy (information theory)|entropy}} of a password is calculated as ''a^b'' where ''a'' is the number of allowed symbols and ''b'' is its length. A dictionary word (however long) has an entropy of around 65000, i.e. 16 bits. A truly random string of length 11 (not like "Tr0ub4dor&3", but more like "J4I/tyJ&Acy") has 94^11 = 72.1 bits. However the comic shows that "Tr0ub4dor&3" has only 28 bits of entropy. Another way of selecting a password is to have 2048 "symbols" (common words) and select only 4 of those symbols. 2048^11 = 44 bits, much better than 28. |
− | + | It is absolutely true that people make passwords hard to remember because they think they are "safer", and it is certainly true that length, all other things being equal, tends to make for very strong passwords and this can confirmed by using [http://rumkin.com/tools/password/passchk.php rumkin.com's password strength checker]. Even if the individual characters are all limited to [a-z], the exponent implied in "we added another lowercase character, so multiply by 26 again" tends to dominate the results. | |
− | + | In addition to being easier to remember, long strings of lowercase characters are also easier to type on smartphones and {{w|Virtual keyboard|soft keyboards}}. | |
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+ | xkcd's password generation scheme requires the user to have a list of 2048 common words (log<sub>2</sub>2(2048) = 11). For any attack we must assume that the attacker knows our password generation algorithm, but not the exact password. In this case the attacker knows the 2048 words, and knows that we selected 4 words, but not which words. The number of combinations of 4 words from this list of words is 2<sup>11</sup>×4 = 44 bits. For comparison, the [http://world.std.com/~reinhold/dicewarefaq.html#calculatingentropy entropy offered by Diceware's 7776 word list is 13 bits per word]. If the attacker doesn't know the algorithm used, and only knows that lowercase letters are selected, the "common words" password would take even longer to crack than depicted. 25 ''random'' lowercase characters would have [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=log2%2826^25%29 117 bits of entropy], vs 44 bits for the common words list. | ||
− | + | {{w|Steve Gibson (computer programmer)|Steve Gibson}} from the {{w|Security Now}} podcast did a lot of work in this arena and found that the password <code>D0g.....................</code> (24 characters long) is stronger than <code>PrXyc.N(n4k77#L!eVdAfp9</code> (23 characters long) because both have at least one uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number, and "special" character, so length trumps perceived complexity. Steve Gibson makes this very clear in his password haystack [https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm reference guide and tester]: | |
+ | :"Once an exhaustive password search begins, '''the most important factor''' is password length!" | ||
− | + | The important thing to take away from this comic is that longer passwords are better because each additional character adds much more time to the breaking of the password. That's what [[Randall]] is trying to get through here. Complexity does not matter unless you have length in passwords. Complexity is more difficult for humans to remember, but length is not. | |
;Example | ;Example | ||
Below there is a detailed example which shows how different rules of complexity work to generate a password with supposed 44 bits of entropy. The examples of expected passwords were generated in random.org.(*) | Below there is a detailed example which shows how different rules of complexity work to generate a password with supposed 44 bits of entropy. The examples of expected passwords were generated in random.org.(*) | ||
− | If ''n'' is the number of symbols and ''L'' is the length of the password, then ''L'' = 44 / log<sub>2</sub>(n). | + | If ''n'' is the number of symbols and ''L'' is the length of the password, then ''L'' = 44 / log<sub><small>2</small></sub>(n). |
{|class="wikitable" | {|class="wikitable" | ||
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!Comment | !Comment | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |a||26||9.3||mdniclapwz||jxtvesveiv||troubadorx||16+4.7 = 20.7||Extra letter to meet length requirement; log<sub>2</sub>(26) = 4.7 | + | |a||26||9.3||mdniclapwz||jxtvesveiv||troubadorx||16+4.7 = 20.7||Extra letter to meet length requirement; log<sub><small>2</small></sub>(26) = 4.7 |
|- | |- | ||
|rowspan="2"|a 9 | |rowspan="2"|a 9 | ||
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|tr0ub4d0r||16+3=19||3 = common substitutions in the comic | |tr0ub4d0r||16+3=19||3 = common substitutions in the comic | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |troubador1||16+3.3=19.3||log<sub>2</sub>(10) = 3.3 | + | |troubador1||16+3.3=19.3||log<sub><small>2</small></sub>(10) = 3.3 |
|- | |- | ||
|a A||52||7.7||jAwwBYne||NeTvgcrq||Troubador||16+1=17||1 = caps? in the comic | |a A||52||7.7||jAwwBYne||NeTvgcrq||Troubador||16+1=17||1 = caps? in the comic | ||
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|a A 9||62||7.3||cDe8CgAf||RONygLMi||Tr0ub4d0r||16+1+3=20||1 = caps?; 3 = common substitutions | |a A 9||62||7.3||cDe8CgAf||RONygLMi||Tr0ub4d0r||16+1+3=20||1 = caps?; 3 = common substitutions | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |a 9 &||68||7.2||_@~"#^.2||un$l&# | + | |a 9 &||68||7.2||_@~"#^.2||un$l&#7c;!f]||tr0ub4d0r&||16+3+4=23||3 = common substitutions; 4 = punctuation |
|- | |- | ||
|a A 9 &||94||6.7||Re-:aRo||^$rV{3?||Tr0ub4d0r&||16+1+3+4=24||1 = caps?; 3 = common substitutions; 4 = punctuation | |a A 9 &||94||6.7||Re-:aRo||^$rV{3?||Tr0ub4d0r&||16+1+3+4=24||1 = caps?; 3 = common substitutions; 4 = punctuation | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|correct​horse​battery​staple | |correct​horse​battery​staple | ||
− | | | + | |0 |
− | | | + | |Because of this comic this password has no entropy |
|} | |} | ||
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:& = the 32 special characters in an American keyboard; Randall assumes only the 16 most common characters are used in practice (4 bits) | :& = the 32 special characters in an American keyboard; Randall assumes only the 16 most common characters are used in practice (4 bits) | ||
− | :(*) The use of random.org explains why <code>jAwwBYne</code> has two consecutive w's, why <code>Re-:aRo</code> has two R's, why <code>_@~"#^.2</code> has no letters, why <code>ewpltiayq</code> has no numbers | + | :(*) The use of random.org explains why <code>jAwwBYne</code> has two consecutive w's, why <code>Re-:aRo</code> has two R's, why <code>_@~"#^.2</code> has no letters, why <code>ewpltiayq</code> has no numbers, etc. A human would have attempted at passwords that looked random. |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:~28 bits of entropy | :~28 bits of entropy | ||
− | :2<sup>28</sup> = 3 days at 1000 guesses | + | :2<sup>28</sup> = 3 days at 1000 guesses sec |
:(Plausible attack on a weak remote web service. Yes, cracking a stolen hash is faster, but it's not what the average user should worry about.) | :(Plausible attack on a weak remote web service. Yes, cracking a stolen hash is faster, but it's not what the average user should worry about.) | ||
− | :Difficulty to guess: Easy | + | :Difficulty to guess: Easy. |
:[Cueball stands scratching his head trying to remember the password.] | :[Cueball stands scratching his head trying to remember the password.] | ||
:Cueball: Was it trombone? No, Troubador. And one of the O's was a zero? | :Cueball: Was it trombone? No, Troubador. And one of the O's was a zero? | ||
:Cueball: And there was some symbol... | :Cueball: And there was some symbol... | ||
− | :Difficulty to remember: Hard | + | :Difficulty to remember: Hard. |
:[The passphrase "correct horse battery staple" is shown in the center of the panel.] | :[The passphrase "correct horse battery staple" is shown in the center of the panel.] | ||
:Four random common words {Each word has 11 bits of entropy.} | :Four random common words {Each word has 11 bits of entropy.} | ||
− | :~ | + | :~44 bits of entropy |
− | :2<sup>44</sup> = 550 years at 1000 guesses | + | :2<sup>44</sup> = 550 years at 1000 guesses sec |
− | :Difficulty to guess: Hard | + | :Difficulty to guess: Hard. |
:[Cueball is thinking, in his thought bubble a horse is standing to one side talking to an off-screen observer. An arrow points to a staple attached to the side of a battery.] | :[Cueball is thinking, in his thought bubble a horse is standing to one side talking to an off-screen observer. An arrow points to a staple attached to the side of a battery.] | ||
:Horse: That's a battery staple. | :Horse: That's a battery staple. | ||
− | :Observer: | + | :Observer: Correct! |
:Difficulty to remember: You've already memorized it | :Difficulty to remember: You've already memorized it | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
− | + | *Some info was used from the highest voted answer given to the question of "how accurate is this XKCD comic" at StackExchange [http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/6095/xkcd-936-short-complex-password-or-long-dictionary-passphrase]. | |
− | *Some info was used from the highest voted answer given to the question of "how accurate is this XKCD comic" at StackExchange [ | + | *Similarly, a question of "how right this comic is" was made at AskMetaFilter [http://ask.metafilter.com/193052/Oh-Randall-you-do-confound-me-so] and [[Randall]] responded [http://ask.metafilter.com/193052/Oh-Randall-you-do-confound-me-so#2779020 there]. |
− | *Similarly, a question of "how right this comic is" was made at AskMetaFilter [ | ||
*Also the Wikipedia article on '{{w|Passphrase}}' is useful. | *Also the Wikipedia article on '{{w|Passphrase}}' is useful. | ||
− | *In case you missed it in the explanation, GRC's Steve Gibson has a fantastic page [https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm] about this (and may have prompted this comic, as his podcast [ | + | *In case you missed it in the explanation, GRC's Steve Gibson has a fantastic page [https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm] about this (and may have prompted this comic, as his podcast [http://www.grc.com/sn/sn-303.htm] about this was posted the month before this comic). |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Math]] | [[Category:Math]] | ||
[[Category:Computers]] | [[Category:Computers]] | ||
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