Developing a passwordgenerating software : Regarding password memorability and security

Abstract: With the growth of digital information and technology, more websites require user authentication to access individuals' sensitive information. The main form of authentication are passwords which if chosen unwisely can easily be guessed or cracked by someone else. This is why it is important to create safe yet memorable passwords. The goal of this report was to develop a program that is able to detect commonly used patterns within passwords in order to transform a specified user inputted password into a more secure password without sacrificing the memorability of the original input. This was realized by analyzing lists of common passwords and partaking in a literature study within this field to identify the patterns present within those password lists. Based on the pattern analysis the program could be designed and developed using python to transform a password into three different password classes with differing levels of security and memorability. The password cracking software hashcat as well as online resources were used to estimate the time it would crack each set of passwords to then gain an understanding of the security levels between them. Results show that it is possible to perform password generation without sacrificing too much security while still having the passwords somewhat memorable.