Tweak It and Freak It: A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way

CHAPTER 13 Crucial Password Hacks

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Bulletproof Your Password

• Set a Minimum Password Length and Strength

• Require Users to Change Their Passwords

• Prevent People from Reusing Old Passwords

• Recover from a Forgotten Password

Computer security is a remarkably fragile thing. You can erect firewalls, encrypt communications, even physically lock your laptop, but in most security situations, there’s only one thing sitting between an intruder and your network or computer: a password. In other words, your precious data, your private thoughts, your confidential memos, your secret ideas are protected by just a measly few characters.

That doesn’t seem like much of a barrier when you look at it in such a stark light, but it’s actually ...