Password Detection Using Demographic Dictionaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unsecure password management, such as storing passwords in plaintext, leads to system compromises, and security officers face challenges in identifying vulnerable password locations due to the vast amount of data and manual processing requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for detecting vulnerable passwords stored in storage devices, which involves identifying file types, parsing text, and using demographic-specific dictionaries and expressions to determine password presence, generating security alerts, and encrypting files, implemented using a hardware processor or computer executable instructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If security officers manually check all possible locations of passwords stored in plaintext, then detection thoroughness is improved, but processing power and manpower requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the password detection task by creating a database of vulnerable file types and organizing password dictionaries by demographic categories (age, gender, country). This segmentation allows the system to efficiently search only relevant file types and use appropriate dictionaries for each context, maintaining detection thoroughness while improving processing efficiency through targeted searches rather than exhaustive manual review of all files.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-compiling databases of vulnerable file types and demographic-specific password dictionaries before the actual detection process. This preliminary preparation enables rapid matching during detection without requiring manual analysis of each file, thereby maintaining high detection precision while significantly reducing processing time and resource requirements during actual security assessments.
2Measurement precision
If security officers manually review files to identify passwords, then detection accuracy is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary automated detection system that acts as a mediator between security officers and the vast amount of data to be reviewed. The system uses file type databases and demographic-specific password dictionaries to automatically identify vulnerable passwords, achieving high detection accuracy through structured searching while dramatically reducing the time consumption that would result from manual review of all files.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical manual review process with an automated computational approach. Instead of security officers manually examining files, the patent employs hardware processors to automatically search files using pre-defined vulnerable file type databases and demographic-specific password dictionaries, maintaining detection accuracy while eliminating the time-consuming manual labor.
3Measurement precision
If all file types are scanned for passwords, then detection completeness is improved, but processing power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating specific databases for different file types and demographic categories rather than using a single universal approach. The system determines the file type of each file and uses corresponding vulnerable file type databases and demographic-specific password dictionaries, ensuring detection completeness for each file type while reducing processing power requirements by avoiding unnecessary searches with inappropriate dictionaries.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems and method for detecting passwords vulnerable to compromise. In one exemplary aspect, a method comprises identifying a plurality of files in at least one storage device of an organization. For each respective file in the plurality of files, in response to determining that the respective file type is in the database of vulnerable file types, the method comprises parsing text in the respective file and identifying, for the respective file, at least one demographic associated with the organization. The method further comprises retrieving dictionaries and expressions specific to the at least one demographic and determining the text in the respective file comprises a password using the retrieved dictionaries and expressions of the at least one demographic. In response to determining that the text comprises the password, the method comprises generating a security alert for an administrator of the storage device.