Specifying a set of forbidden passwords
Various embodiments are described for providing password approval on a device. The password approval includes getting the user password, generating at least one symbolically equivalent password and then comparing the at least one symbolically equivalent password with at least one specified forbidden password. The user password is disapproved if one of the symbolically equivalent passwords corresponds to the at least one forbidden password.
1. A device comprising:
a processor, and at least one physical memory component;
wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a password to approve, the password to approve comprising a character sequence;
execute a password approval method, wherein the processor is configured to:
for each selected character of at least one character in the character sequence:
add the selected character from the character sequence to each of one or more symbolically equivalent passwords; and
for each character sequence equivalent associated with the selected character found in the list of symbolic equivalents, add the character sequence equivalent to at least one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords, wherein the character sequence equivalent is associated with the selected character if a corresponding symbolic equivalent in the list consists of the selected character alone or the selected character plus one or more subsequent characters in the character sequence;
compare each of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords with a specified forbidden password; and
disapprove the password to approve if any one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords corresponds to the specified forbidden password.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a mobile device.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the list of symbolic equivalents is stored in the memory of the device.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the list of symbolic equivalents comprises visual symbolic equivalents.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the list of symbolic equivalents comprises phonetic symbolic equivalents.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein a given symbolically equivalent password corresponds to the specified forbidden password if all of the characters in the specified forbidden password are in the given symbolically equivalent password.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein a given symbolically equivalent password corresponds to the specified forbidden password if a number of characters in the specified forbidden password that are in the given symbolically equivalent password is greater than or equal to a value specified by a length parameter.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein a given symbolically equivalent password corresponds to the specified forbidden password if all of the characters in the specified forbidden password are, in order, in the given symbolically equivalent password.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein a given symbolically equivalent password corresponds to the specified forbidden password if a number of characters in the specified forbidden password that are, in order, in the given symbolically equivalent password is greater than or equal to a value specified by an order parameter.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein when executing the password approval method, the processor is further configured to:
for each additional forbidden password in a list of forbidden passwords that is different from the specified forbidden password, compare each of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords with the additional forbidden password;
disapprove the password to approve if any one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords corresponds to any one of the forbidden passwords in the list of forbidden passwords; and
approve the password to approve if none of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords correspond to at least one of the forbidden passwords in the list of forbidden passwords.
11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the list of forbidden passwords is stored in the memory of the device.
12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive an updated list of forbidden passwords at the device.
13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the password approval method in response to the updated list of forbidden passwords being received at the device.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive an updated list of symbolic equivalents at the device.
15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the password approval method in response to the updated list of symbolic equivalents being received at the device.
16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the password approval method in response to the password to approve being received at the device for a first time.
17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the password approval method in response to a user request to change a password being received at the device.
18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the password approval method in response to a request, initiated by an IT administrator, for a random check of the password to approve.
19. A password approval method, comprising:
a processor receiving a password to approve, the password to approve comprising a character sequence;
for each selected character of at least one character in the character sequence:
the processor adding the selected character from the character sequence to each of one or more symbolically equivalent passwords; and
for each character sequence equivalent associated with the selected character found in the list of symbolic equivalents, the processor adding the character sequence equivalent to at least one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords, wherein the character sequence equivalent is associated with the selected character if a corresponding symbolic equivalent in the list consists of the selected character alone or the selected character plus one or more subsequent characters in the character sequence;
the processor comparing each of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords with a specified forbidden password; and the processor disapproving the password to approve if any one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords corresponds to the specified forbidden password.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute a password approval method, and wherein the password approval method comprises:
receiving a password to approve, the password to approve comprising a character sequence;
for each selected character of at least one character in the character sequence:
adding the selected character from the character sequence to each of one or more symbolically equivalent passwords; and
for each character sequence equivalent associated with the selected character found in the list of symbolic equivalents, adding the character sequence equivalent to at least one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords, wherein the character sequence equivalent is associated with the selected character if a corresponding symbolic equivalent in the list consists of the selected character alone or the selected character plus one or more subsequent characters in the character sequence;
comparing each of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords with a specified forbidden password; and
disapproving the password to approve if any one of the one or more symbolically equivalent passwords corresponds to the specified forbidden password.