User-Specific Dictionary Weighting for Secure, Memorable Passphrases
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in balancing strong security measures with user-friendly password practices, as complex passwords are hard to remember and passphrases, while easier to guess, compromise security.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for customizing a dictionary by capturing user-specific word preferences, applying predefined criteria to generate a weighted word-list, and dynamically updating the dictionary with encrypted random words to create easy-to-remember yet secure passphrases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users create complicated passwords with special characters, numbers, and case variations, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates as remembering many complicated passwords becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the password creation task into two parts: a secure, memorable passphrase component (easy to remember) and a systematically generated suffix component (provides additional security). This segmentation allows users to maintain high security while improving memorability, directly resolving the contradiction between security and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically generating the complex suffix portion of passwords based on user-defined patterns and security requirements. Users only need to remember their passphrase, while the system handles the complex password generation in advance, eliminating the burden of remembering multiple complicated passwords
2Reliability
If users use long passphrases for enhanced security, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates as long passphrases are challenging to remember
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameters of passphrases by allowing users to define custom suffix patterns (length, character sets, repetition rules) that are automatically appended to their chosen passphrase. This transforms a potentially long, hard-to-remember passphrase into a shorter passphrase plus a systematically generated suffix, improving memorability while maintaining security
3Ease of operation
If users use short, easy-to-guess phrases for passwords, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates as hackers can easily guess them using dictionary attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates composite passwords by combining user-chosen passphrases with algorithmically generated suffixes that include special characters, numbers, and pattern-based elements. This composite structure maintains the memorability of the user's phrase while adding security layers that resist dictionary attacks and automated guessing
4Ease of operation
If users store passphrases in insecure locations like agendas, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates as this compromises security and defeats the purpose of creating complex passphrases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service password management by allowing users to define their own passphrase templates and suffix patterns, which are then automatically applied across multiple accounts. Users don't need to store complex passwords externally because the system generates them on-demand based on user-defined rules, providing both ease of access and security
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for customizing a dictionary for a user is disclosed. The method includes capturing data with respect to the user from a plurality of platforms; generating a words-list including a plurality of words based on the captured data; determining a set of words from the words-list based on a predefined word-length criteria; determining a subset of words from the set of words based on a predefined word-frequency criteria; assigning a weight corresponding to each word of the subset of words to generate a weighted words-list based on presence of special characters in each word of the subset of words and a frequency of occurrence of each word in the subset of words; and dynamically updating the dictionary based on the weighted words-list.