THE MATHEMATICS

OF
PASSWORDS
AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY JEAN-PAUL DELAHAYE IN “SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN”
OLEINIK ROMAN
 CONTENTS

• Why do we need long passwords

• Dictionary attacks
• Advice for Web sites
• Rainbow table
 SPACE OF POSSIBILITIES

• Space of possibilities is a set of all unique options

• Depends on allowable symbols and length of password
• Is measured in bites: B=1+[log2(P)]
 HOW LONG TO HACK

•  
• Moore’s law
• A milliard possibilities per second
• After this number of years, the space can be checked in
less than one hour: X=2 log2(P/(3.610^12))
 DICTIONARY ATTACKS

• Choice is not random: “locomotive” is simpler than

“xdichqewax”
• There is a list of the most popular passwords
• Among 4-digit passwords “1234” has 11 percent
 ADVICE FOR WEB SITES

• There are some rules to protect users

• Hash functions and fingerprints
• Still not enough: billion accounts of Yahoo! were
hacked
 TRICKS OF HACKERS

• Dilemma: a lot of computing power or a lot of memory

• Compromise: rainbow table
• Creating new passwords from old with a certain rule
until the desired one appears
HOW IT WORKS
 SUMMARY

• Long and complicated passwords are not for nothing: it

is a necessity
• Permanent war between hackers and protectors
 THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION!