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Passwords, authentication, and security?

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The Question is:

 
Folks,
 
I understand that OpenVMS Passwords through V7.2 are limited to letters,
 numbers, dollar signs ($) and underscores (_).  Has any consideration been
 given to expanding the valid character set?  If so, when this might become
 available?
 
Thank you,
--Bryan Webb
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
Carnegie Mellon University
 
 
 


The Answer is :

 
  Most any password-based mechanism is inherently somewhat insecure in
  typical modern computing environments, as a wide variety of attacks
  are known and are available -- attacks ranging from simple social
  engineering as has been the case in various high-profile computer
  security cases, to attacks based on dictionary-based or poor user
  password choices, to attacks requiring physical snooping or various
  forms of electronic eavesdropping.   Other non-traditional attacks
  on your internal network and systems are also quite possible (on
  most any platform), and these can completely bypass your existing
  firewalls and even potentially your existing host-based security.
 
  Attempting to use longer passwords or moving to broader password
  character sets will not avoid the problems that are inherent in
  traditional password-based authentication schemes.  (And in
  practice, having more complex or computer-generated passwords can
  actually increase certain exposures -- more than a few folks will
  write down these hard-to-remember passwords, and physical access
  to a desk drawer or to a wallet can result in some rather obvious
  security problems.)
 
  The existing OpenVMS password scheme is based on a Purdy polynomial
  password-hashing mechanism, and this hashing scheme is inherently
  rather difficult to reverse.  That said, it is possible that another
  unrelated password can be found that hashes down to the same results
  as the "correct" password -- this potential for duplicated results
  is inherent in any scheme based on hashing.  And it is also possible
  that an ill-chosen, shared, or (un)intentionally exposed password can
  render the system itself insecure.
 
  Good user-to-user and user-to-data security (find your critical data
  and/or processes and secure that first), as well as mechanisms such
  as bi-directional network firewalls, as well as good system and network
  security monitoring and management, as well as having good, simple, and
  effective security tools and policies, and user security training, are
  all central to maintaining the privacy and integrity of the critical
  data.
 
  Although there are obviously limits on any existing user authentication
  scheme -- including the OpenVMS password authentication scheme -- there
  exists a mechanism which allows OpenVMS to be customised to implement
  most any authentication scheme desired.
 
  Further, work on what is known as the ACME programming interface and
  support for external authentication is presently underway within
  OpenVMS Engineering, and the ACME interface is intended to more
  easily and seamlessly permit connections to most any external
  authentication scheme available, including Kerberos, smart cards,
  and interfacing with biometric hardware.  The first part of the ACME
  interface was released in V7.1 with the LAN Manager external
  authentication, the second with the Kerberos support expected in the
  OpenVMS V7.3 release, and further work and enhancements are expected
  for inclusion in releases after V7.3.
 
  For details on the existing support for LOGINOUT customization (the
  API available prior to full ACME support), please see the OpenVMS
  Utility Routines Manual, Chapter 12 LOGINOUT (LGI) Routines.  For
  details on the Kerberos support in the OpenVMS V7.3 release, please
  see the documentation for that release -- as of this writing, the
  OpenVMS V7.3 release is just entering external field test.
 

answer written or last revised on ( 5-JUL-2000 )

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