I’m aware of what constitutes a decent password, but typing in 15-30 random characters each time I lock my computer screen is starting to get a bit taxing.
How secure does my user password really need to be and what are the threats to it? Does the same apply to a root-enabled user as a “regular” user when it comes to password security?
For context, my threat model doesn’t need to account for real people breaking in and accessing my computer, the damage would be very contained.
Bonus question - what are the risks of having a weak password on a root user on a spare laptop on the same network as my main device that is used exclusively for web browsing? Thanks.
I use a pretty simple password in my PC and Laptop, since, in theory, I’m the only one with access to them (oh, and my wife, of course).
I just don’t have ssh enabled and the root passwords are ridiculously strong.
Physical security is more important than software security on laptops. In a public space it’s enough to have a shit password as long as there is one.
For ssh ports or remote desktop connections that don’t use pairing you definitely need a strong password. For local WIFI connections it’s not as important as your WIFI security though.
It doesn’t need to be crazy secure as there is a retry delay enforced by the OS.
If you are talking about LUKS2 then go with a passphrase
For context, my threat model doesn’t need to account for real people breaking in and accessing my computer, the damage would be very contained.
I mean if you don’t have open ssh ports on your computer or whatever I don’t think you need a strong password, given that you’re not concerned about physical access. I would say that at the very least have a reasonably secure root password (/user password if you’re a sudoer/anyone else who can get root permissions with your user account) because if you end up with some malware on your computer that can, say, enter passwords, you don’t want it to be ridiculously easy to bruteforce.
Not at all. If you think about security like if a thief was to steal your data then the only thing protecting you would be disk encryption. A password for login won’t prevent someone from taking your disk.
