Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Glodek, William
Author's Email Address	glodek@cs.fsu.edu
URN	etd-04142008-170521
Title	Using A Specialized Grammar to Generate Probable Passwords
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Computer Science, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Breno de Medeiros Committee Co-Chair Sudhir Aggarwal Committee Co-Chair Zhenhai Duan Committee Member
Keywords	Generate Passwords Grammar
Date of Defense	2008-04-09
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The most common method of preventing unauthorized access to digital information is through the use of a password-based authentication system. The strength of a password-based authentication system relies on a humans ability to generate a password that is memorable but not easily guessed. Brute force techniques can be used to break passwords through exhaustive search, but this may take an infeasible amount of time. Dictionary attack techniques attempt to break passwords by applying common password construction patterns to standard dictionaries. These common strategies are often successful in breaking weak passwords, but as computer users become more educated in secure computing practices, these strategies may become less successful. We have developed a novel password breaking strategy that uses known passwords to develop a specialized grammar, which can be used to generate probable passwords. The password generation process uses a probabilistic approach to develop grammars that measure the likely hood of a password structure. Passwords are generated based on the probabilistic password structures. In this thesis, we describe the development and implementation of the specialized grammar and the generation of passwords. We also show that our probable password generation strategy is more effective than current password breaking utilities and provides a foundation for future research.
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