CODEWITHSUNDEEP
unixpasswd
f1wade
f1wade

Reputation: 2967

How do I find out the complexity needed for a Unix password

My Unix password has timed out, and I need to enter a new one, so I get this bit as soon as I login:

Current Password:####  
New Password:

but anything I type is too simple (apparently), even 1y4y5re987wnf

Is there something I can type to find out the rules around the password?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 5856

Answers (2)

Jonathan Leffler
Jonathan Leffler

Reputation: 754800

I would expect you to need at least one capital letter, at least one lower case letter, at least one digit, preferably at least one punctuation or control character, and at least 8 characters in total. However, without knowing a lot more about which version of Unix (Linux, etc) you are using, no-one can be more precise than that. Different systems will impose different rules. Different systems will likely impose different upper limits on the length of a password.

Upvotes: 0

Simeon Visser
Simeon Visser

Reputation: 122496

You should ask your system administrator: it may be that 1y4y5re987wnf is rejected because it does not contain any special characters or no capitalized letters. You can also find more information about your required password in the file /etc/default/passwd.

Upvotes: 1

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