Apple wants to improve password security

Apple wants to improve password security

Apple published on Friday a free kit of tools and of resources having as objective to help the developers of applications of management of passwords – but also other applications – to generate solid passwords.

The new tools, regrouped under the name "Password Manager Resources", were put online on GitHub Friday. According to Apple, these new tools are mainly intended to help the developers of applications of management of passwords to create a better experience for the users.

An ancient problem

Apple hopes by this bias to resolve a longstanding problem concerning the applications of management of passwords, with an impact on the users of all operating systems, and not only of the macOS and iOS.

Problem in question is that if the administrators of passwords create unique and solid passwords, it often happens that these passwords are not compatible with sites web for which they are created.

The user meeting an error during the generation of an unpredictable password often chooses then his own password. And yet he is generally shorter and less sure than that normally generated by application.

Tools published by Apple include lists of rules of selection of passwords for many sites web among the most popular:

Apple maintains that the administrators of passwords who will use the list of rules will begin generating passwords at the same time solid and unique, but also compatible with sites web for which they are used. Objective being to optimise experience user by reducing errors and cases where the users have to choose their password – a situation which the technological giant wants to avoid.

An open source plan

The business company in the apple also published a list of sites web which share identifiants of connection between them. She hopes that it «will make more useful the suggestions of filling of passwords».

Apple shared another list of URL, containing sites web which re-run currently the users so that they change their password. According to her, this list will be able to be useful to the developers of applications of management of passwords. Indeed, if application discerns a weak password, she will be able to bring the user directly on the page of modification of the password, rather than to let him find the way by itself.

Apple adds that the kit "Password Manager Resources" is open source, on one hand because purpose is that the administrators of passwords include these rules, and on the other hand because she wishes that they contribute to plan by bringing their own point of view, all this with the intention of improving the security of the users.