Strong Passwords Need Entropy for Windows

User Reviews

• I like this programme

  stephanybullJune 3, 2013

  Pros

  I prefer utilize a software in order to test my existing passwords instead of doing it on a website which can register my passwords without me knowing it. Not good for your security. Having the choice in the password generator is super cool - I like that too

  Cons

  Nothing to say - It makes the work it has been programmed for

  Summary

  @Scuzeme I agree with BillName. What you is writing is completely wrong. Entropy measures the level of 'Deterioration' of a password - expressed in binary bit. And this is not equal to/not the same as possible combinations !!! Entropy is an indication of the robustness of the password. 'Online attack' does not make any sense. The most known attacks are brute force attack and dictionary attack. I have tested myself on different websites the entropy of the password you mention 'password1'. These websites show the same result as the software SPNE - and which is 46.35 bits. This result shows a very weak entropy. It is not a high entropy as you claim. You also write that 'password1' requires 33 centuries to try all possible combinations. This sentence does not make sense either. The maximum number of possible combinations (36^9) is: 101,559,956,668,416.00 = more than one trillion which the software SPNE is also mentioning. I think you have problems with mathematics, and you mix up a lot of things.

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• Great tool

  BillNameMay 30, 2013

  Pros

  For those who knows the definition of entropy this program is made for those people. It is a cool program. Very use to use and for free.

  Cons

  It would be nice in the generator to have a verify button.

  Summary

  I do not agree with the comment made by scuzem. It is totally wrong when he/she states that the password "password1" gets a high entropy. Strong Passwords Needs Entropy is in fact showing that this password is very weak. Also regarding "3.9485767848933e", it is explained in the FAQ thanks to a link how you interprete this information. You learn that e is an exponent that you learn in school. Look here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_notation -

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• Irritating and Primitive Unreliable Toy

  scuzemeMay 30, 2013

  Pros

  The password generator is fun to play with for 2 minutes.

  Cons

  The program has a primitive dot-matrix like appearance; passwords cannot be pasted, dragged or copied. You must "Save" generated passwords which get pasted into the original testing window. You must click "Save" again and each save creates a new .txt file. It's quite frustrating to see your generated passwords in the window but have to save then locate a separate text file to get to each of them. Moving through the various options closes the previous window. You must exit each feature to go back to the beginning. The format used to display "Maximum trials needed" is undecipherable. What does "3.9485767848933e" mean? One test result showed: "3Your password.2262667..." which, I'm quite certain, is an error.

  Summary

  Entropy is not a strength tester. It tests the number of possible combinations from the given characters. A high entropy rating protects against guessing (brute force attacks). "password1" gets a high entropy rating requiring about 33 centuries to try all possible combinations in an online attack but it would fail a strength test, popping up in less than a second in the top 25 most common passwords in some lists. Most "Generator" options, like smiley faces, Morse code and only non-alpha-numeric characters would fail to meet most website requirements so they are just for fun. Selecting "Pronounceable word" generated an UN-pronounceable random string. This crappy little program seems primitive, amateurish, cumbersome, inaccurate, poorly designed and useless. It wasn't even free. It cost me a lot of time to download, test, review and delete. Skip this junk. Do a little research and learn how easy it is to create passwords with a high entropy rating and extremely rare - if not absolutely unique - passwords. Too bad there isn't an option for 0 stars! Or a sad smiley face :(

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