Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins

From	The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid>
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.misc
Subject	Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins
Date	2025-10-31 08:33 +0000
Organization	A little, after lunch
Message-ID	<10e1s88$b3bl$5@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(7 earlier) <mmg2naFauaqU3@mid.individual.net> <20251030081232.00001577@gmail.com> <mmhvhmFkmn2U9@mid.individual.net> <slrn10g89i3.rcf.spamtrap42@one.localnet> <OkCdnfWc3dsZrJn0nZ2dnZfqn_GdnZ2d@giganews.com>

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On 31/10/2025 03:48, c186282 wrote:
> On 10/30/25 23:00, Robert Riches wrote:
>> On 2025-10-30, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
>>> On Thu, 30 Oct 2025 08:12:32 -0700, John Ames wrote:
>>>
>>>> Needless to say, word quickly got around, and after that the only 
>>>> people
>>>> who had to reset their passwords were our CEO and accountant.
>>>
>>> I change it but each evolution is very similar to the last, maybe 
>>> with the
>>> 'a' turning into a '@' etc. In the long run that isn't that great an 
>>> idea
>>> since it probably would be easier to remember something completely
>>> different. In the best tradition, the current version is on a PostIt.
>>
>> During New Employee Orientation at an earlier employer about a
>> decade and a half ago, the _presenter_ stated his preferred
>> solution to required password changes was to have one good base
>> password, then append a digit, then rotate the digit when
>> required.
> 
>    Eh ... good enough for most "corporate" stuff
>    except maybe payroll/accounting ........
> 
>    People are just not going to be able to deal
>    with passwords of 18 random characters. That's
>    just how it is. They can't, they won't.
> 
If its your password, they are not random.
But whilst you might remember HorseWhistler.General12 it's an unlikely 
thing to guess.

>    OR they'll write it on a post-it and stick it
>    to their keyboard  :-)
> 
Better still is all the root passwords typed out and left behind the 
receptionist.


-- 
“when things get difficult you just have to lie”

― Jean Claud Jüncker

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Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-28 20:03 +0000
  Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-10-28 14:10 -0700
    Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Allodoxaphobia <trepidation@example.net> - 2025-10-28 22:43 +0000
      Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-29 01:45 +0000
        Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-10-28 20:45 -0700
          Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-29 17:43 +0000
            Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2025-10-29 14:01 -0400
              Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-30 02:45 +0000
            Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-10-29 22:00 -0400
              Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-30 03:00 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-10-30 08:12 -0700
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-30 20:19 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net> - 2025-10-31 03:00 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-10-30 23:48 -0400
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-10-31 08:33 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-31 04:43 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-10-31 09:02 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-10-31 08:59 -0700
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-31 20:24 +0000
              Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2025-11-01 03:40 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-01 00:45 -0400
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2025-11-02 03:15 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-01 23:35 -0400
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-02 11:25 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-02 21:08 +0100
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-02 21:51 +0000
            Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-10-31 14:33 +0100
              Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-31 23:16 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-11-01 05:41 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-01 02:18 -0400
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-P  icking Origins vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2025-11-01 07:06 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-P  icking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-11-02 01:44 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-11-02 01:34 +0000
                Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-01 14:50 +0100
    Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-28 22:59 +0000
      Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-10-30 01:29 -0400
        Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-30 06:25 +0000
        Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-10-30 06:59 +0000
    Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-29 02:54 +0000
      Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-10-29 17:32 +0000
        Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-01 10:30 +0000
    Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-10-29 11:22 +0000
    Re: Ken Thompson Recalls Unix’s Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-30 22:45 +0000

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