Password Check (Python)

After discovering this week that someone had created a password checker I decided I would give the same idea a shot.

For this project I am using information from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) here in the UK. To read up on the information I recommend:

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/most-hacked-passwords-revealed-as-uk-cyber-survey-exposes-gaps-in-online-security

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/passwords-passwords-everywhere

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/passwords

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/passwords/updating-your-approach

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# geektechstuff

# How secure is the password?

def ask_for_password():

password = input(“Please type password: “)

print(“You typed”,password)

return(password)

def check_basics(password):

# alphabets, number and special characters

uppercase = [“A”,”B”,”C”,”D”,”E”,”F”,”G”,”H”,”I”,”J”,”K”,”L”,”M”,”N”,”O”,”P”,”Q”,”R”,”S”,”T”,”U”,”V”,”W”,”X”,”Y”,”Z”]

lowercase = [“a”,”b”,”c”,”d”,”e”,”f”,”g”,”h”,”i”,”j”,”k”,”l”,”m”,”n”,”o”,”p”,”q”,”r”,”s”,”t”,”u”,”v”,”w”,”x”,”y”,”z”]

numbers = [“0″,”1″,”2″,”3″,”4″,”5″,”6″,”7″,”8″,”9”]

special = [“!”,”@”,”£”,”%”,”^”,”&”,”*”,”~”]

# counts

upper_count = 0

lower_count = 0

number_count = 0

special_count = 0

counts_total = 0

uc = 0

lc = 0

nc = 0

sc = 0

p_length = 0

detectpwned = 0

# start scoring

print(“Password complexity:”)

for x in password:

for y in uppercase:

if x == y:

upper_count = upper_count+1

uc= 1

for z in lowercase:

if x == z:

lower_count = lower_count+1

lc = 1

for w in numbers:

if x == w:

number_count = number_count+1

nc =1

for v in special:

if x == v:

special_count = special_count+1

sc =1

if uc ==1:

print(“Password contains an upper case character”)

if lc ==1:

print(“Password contains a lower case character”)

if nc ==1:

print(“Password contains a number”)

if sc ==1:

print(“Password contains a special character”)

print(“Current NCSC guidance is not to use complexity requirements: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/passwords/updating-your-approach”)

# check password length

print(“Password length check: “)

p_length = len(password)

if p_length >8:

print(“Password is greater than 8 characters.”)

print(“NCSC recommend not having a short password: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/passwords/updating-your-approach”)

else:

print(“NCSC recommend not having a short password: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/passwords/updating-your-approach”)

# check pwned passwords

f = open(“PwnedPasswordTop100k.txt”,”r”)

for x in f:

x = str(x)

x = x.strip()

if x == password:

print(“Password is in top 100,000 pwned passwords”)

detectpwned = 1

if detectpwned ==0:

print(“Password not detected in top 100,000 pwned passwords”)

print(“The list of top 100,000 pwned passwords available at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/static-assets/documents/PwnedPasswordTop100k.txt”)

print(“Read more on the top pwned passwords at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/passwords-passwords-everywhere”)

return()

check_basics(“password”)

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This version currently runs in the terminal/command window. I created two functions:

ask_for_password():

Prompts for a password and then repeats back what was typed. I’m of two minds about it (not very secure repeating back password to user) and so left it as a separate function.

check_basics():

The user types the password inside the function bracket e.g. check_basics(“secure”) to check secure as a password.

The Python for this project is available on my GitHub at: https://github.com/geektechdude/python_password_check