Re: Password Validation API

[Douglas Handy <dhandy1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mel,

>A problem with Get Profile Handle is that if the password is incorrect, the
>incorrect password count is increased.

If that is perceived as a problem, then you could use Leif's program instead.
Since it does the validation itself, an invalid attempt will not increase the
count.

But before someone crys wolf about being able to use it for unlimited attempts
at brute force cracking the password, I'll point out that it would be much
quicker to just use the password cracker on the Internet.  My PC will test
passwords at the rate of over 8 *million* passwords per *second*.   I don't
think my AS/400 would come anywhere close to that. :(

>A kludge that might work would be ... 

>If the two encrypted passwords match, the password is valid; else, it is
>invalid.

If you compared the entire return value, this logic would fail since the user-id
is part of the encryption method for part of the value returned.  It would be
possible to modify your logic to a method which would work, but Leif's program
is a much easier way to accomplish it without incrementing the count for failed
attempts.

However, I'd hazard a guess security administrators would rather see the count
get increased...

Doug
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