Patent ID: 7685431
Filing Date: 2010-03-23
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of evaluating a potential password comprising: accessing a potential password for a user having multiple characters; identifying, from among at least a numeric character type, a lowercase letter character type, an uppercase letter character type, and a nonalphanumeric character type, character types that correspond to the multiple characters included in the potential password; detecting variations in the identified character types that correspond to the multiple characters included in the potential password by: determining a total number of the multiple characters included in the potential password; determining a number of repeated characters included in the multiple characters included in the potential password; computing a measure that reflects the number of repeated characters relative to the total number of the multiple characters included in the potential password; computing, by at least one computer and based on the detected variations in the identified character types and the computed measure that reflects the number of repeated characters relative to the total number of the multiple characters included in the potential password, a numeric value that corresponds to an amount of time estimated for cracking the potential password by: making perceivable information as an indication of strength for the potential password based on the computed numeric value.