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Re: Password validation security issue

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On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 12:41 AM, Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> wrote:
> I used to work at <big company> which had a typical big company IT
> department which enforced all sorts of annoying pseudo-security rules.
> As far as I could figure out, however, all you needed to get them to
> reset anybody's password and tell you the new one was to know their
> employee ID number (visible on the front of their ID badge), and to make
> the call from their desk phone.

Technically, that's a separate vulnerability. If you figure out
someone else's password, you can log in as that person and nobody is
any the wiser (bar detailed logs eg of IP addresses). Getting a
password reset will at least alert the person on their next login.
That may or may not be safe, of course. Doing a password reset at
4:30pm the day before someone goes away for two months might give you
free reign for that time *and* might not even arouse suspicions ("I
can't remember my password after the break, can you reset it
please?").

But it's an attack vector that MUST be considered, which is why I
never tell the truth in any "secret question / secret answer" boxes.
Why some sites think "mother's maiden name" is at all safe is beyond
my comprehension. And that's not counting the ones that I can't answer
because I can't find the "NaN" key on my keyboard, like "Surname of
first girlfriend". *twiddle thumbs*

ChrisA

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Thread

Password validation security issue Renato <rvernucio@gmail.com> - 2014-03-01 09:49 -0800
  Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 05:11 +1100
  Re: Password validation security issue Christian Heimes <christian@python.org> - 2014-03-01 19:31 +0100
  Re: Password validation security issue Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-03-01 12:38 -0600
  Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 05:43 +1100
  Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 05:45 +1100
  Re: Password validation security issue Christian Heimes <christian@python.org> - 2014-03-01 20:54 +0100
    Re: Password validation security issue Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2014-03-01 15:25 -0500
      Re: Password validation security issue Christian Heimes <christian@python.org> - 2014-03-01 23:07 +0100
      Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 09:13 +1100
  Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 07:11 +1100
  Re: Password validation security issue Christian Heimes <christian@python.org> - 2014-03-02 20:25 +0100
    Re: Password validation security issue Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2014-03-02 15:01 -0500
      Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 07:32 +1100
      Re: Password validation security issue Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-03 01:16 +0000
        Re: Password validation security issue Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 18:52 -0700
          Re: Password validation security issue Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-03 04:38 +0000
            Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 16:44 +1100
            Re: Password validation security issue Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 23:50 -0700
        Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 13:56 +1100
          Re: Password validation security issue Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2014-03-03 08:41 -0500
            Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 00:55 +1100
              Re: Password validation security issue Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-03 16:46 +0000
                Re: Password validation security issue Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 05:46 +1100
            Re: Password validation security issue MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2014-03-03 16:29 +0000
            Re: Password validation security issue Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-03 17:41 +0000
  Re: Password validation security issue Renato <rvernucio@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 15:10 -0800
    Re: Password validation security issue Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 18:49 -0700
    Re: Password validation security issue Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-03 02:30 +0000

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