Log-In Sensitivity

Discussion in 'Windows 7 / 8 /10 Client Exams' started by ScoobyDoo, Nov 10, 2004.

  1. ScoobyDoo

    ScoobyDoo Byte Poster

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    Why, in Windows XP, is the Username case insensitive, yet the password case sensitive ?
     
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  2. AJ

    AJ 01000001 01100100 01101101 01101001 01101110 Administrator

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    Well lets be honest a user name is not as security sensitive as a password. OK you can find out a username easy enough but work out the combinations:

    26 letters in the alphabet lower case

    26 letters in upper case

    then theres numbers

    plus the other characters you can use

    That makes and aweful lot of combinations

    Also you can use and email address to login to a network - User Principle Name. Email adddresses are not case sensitive so hence user name need not be case sensitive either.
    HTH
     
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  3. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    AJ summed it up, hers more detail re: combinations :)

    the way to work it out is like this

    26^<charlengthofpassword> for all one case letters (be it upper or lower)
    26+26^<charlengthofpassword> for passwords using both case
    26+26+10^<charlengthofpassword> if you include numbers OR special characters and use upper and lower case
    26+26+10+10^<charlengthofpassword> if you include numers AND special characters and user upper and lower case

    my password has

    72^18 combinations
    nice and secure
    provided i dont write it on a post it and attach it to my monitor
    DOH
     
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  4. AJ

    AJ 01000001 01100100 01101101 01101001 01101110 Administrator

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    OMG :ohmy


    You would not believe how many teachers do that either that or leave their machines login all the time.
     
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  5. Firthy2002

    Firthy2002 Byte Poster

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    It's a big business security risk, everyone does it.

    And according to Microsoft, us IT guys should do our utmost to stamp it out.
     
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  6. ScoobyDoo

    ScoobyDoo Byte Poster

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    Thanks for your answers so far - but nobody has as yet explained WHY one is case sensitive while the other isn't.
     
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  7. Jakamoko
    Honorary Member

    Jakamoko On the move again ...

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    My guess would be that a username is gonna be pretty easy to deduce by simple knowledge of company practice/naming convention, whereas your password is exactly that - YOUR password.


    It is YOUR responsibilty to choose something unique and unidentifiable to others, in accordance with company password policy.

    Could be wrong tho...:rolleyes:
     
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  8. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    Windows is not case sensitive thats why
    it would be silly to make usernames case sensitive when windows does not recognise case, passwords are the exeption not the rule

    in unix everything is case sensitive
    that includes users/passwords and folders/files

    so there it is the rule

    alot of windows details are based on account name, and if the file system is not case sensitive it makes no sense to make the accounts case sensitive

    the profile for ABlack would overwrite the provile for ablack even though they were seperate users
    (and other such examples of problems)
     
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  9. ScoobyDoo

    ScoobyDoo Byte Poster

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    Thanks for that. Now I understand.
     
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