NIST recently published their four-volume SP800-63-3 Digital Identity Guidelines. Among other things, they make three important suggestions when it comes to passwords:
-Stop it with the annoying password complexity rules. They make passwords harder to remember. They increase errors because artificially complex passwords are harder to type in. And they don't help that much. It's better to allow people to use pass phrases.
-Stop it with password expiration. That was an old idea for an old way we used computers. Today, don't make people change their passwords unless there's indication of compromise.
-Let people use password managers. This is how we deal with all the passwords we need.
These password rules were failed attempts to fix the user. Better we fix the security systems.
Does this mean we can stop composing our passwords like Q*bert?
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Wednesday October 11 2017, @01:49PM
Modded you up. I agree entirely that laziness trumps security, and you once again point out the real benefits of password managers.
And I agree re: nuclear facilities, and in fact many process-control and SCADA applications. Security is just not baked in. If somebody messes with process control in an oil refinery, or a chemical plant, or a dam, really nasty things could happen.