I must not be human... Most of my high security accounts have passwords of 20+ random characters and I have them memorized...
On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 10:25 AM, Ben Scott <[email protected]> wrote: > On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 12:31 PM, Matthew W. Ross > <[email protected]> wrote: > >> If data is encrypted with strong crypto, and that crypto's secret > >> key is not stored on the device, then that data can generally be > >> considered safe even if the device is stolen. > >> > >> In English, that means if the security depends on a strong password > >> the user must enter (and not on some magic the manufacturer has > >> "hidden" inside the device), the password-protected data is safe. > > > > ... Isn't that only partially true? I mean, if the encrypted data is > stolen, > > isn't it reasonable to believe it can be cracked given enough time/cpu > power? > > You're basically correct. > > Given good algorithms and implementations, the strength of your > security depends on the strength of the key. If the password is an > English word, then yah, it's going to be straightforward to crack in > minutes or hours with a dictionary attack. If it's a a combination of > words and other characters, it's harder, but still within reason for > days, weeks, or months. Once you go to truly random characters, it's > dependent on the length. But even 10 characters might be crackable in > several years given commercially available technology. (I'm not up on > current predictions, so numbers may be off for times.) > > A truly random 256-bit symmetric key could theoretically be cracked > given enough time, but time to brute-force (given known technology) is > generally given in billions of years. It has been theorized that new > technology (especially "quantum computing") could drastically cut into > that, but it remains to be seen if such things are actually possible > or not. > > But 256 bits is a lot. Printable ASCII is roughly 96 characters. > That fits in roughly six and a half bits. So your passcode would need > to be around 40 characters long, and *completely* random (no words or > patterns), for it to be in that neighborhood. It's not realistic to > expect humans to do that. > > -- Ben > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to [email protected] > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
