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Question 8 on the dev faq should emphasize using multiple layers when doing a password reset, partially to avoid the inherent problems with e-mail security (especially as your last bastion of security). Security questions, browser heuristics, login attempts, out-of-band communication (SMS confirmation code, secondary e-mail account, etc).

Question 9 should include a sub-section .3 which explains that if you unrestrict the password field, you need to include a basic password cracker or strength requirement, usually along with a client-side "strength" meter. The backend should reject all simple passwords and the frontend should help the user pick a simple yet strong password.

And ideally this page would also link the dev to http://twofactorauth.org/ as an example of how many more places are implementing 2FA. Passwords are dead; long live passwords with 2FA.




Re: Q8. Security questions are an anti-pattern and the rest are outside our mandate. I do not claim to have written the penultimate guide to password security :)

Re: Q9. Again, that's a great pattern, but is not a requirement to not be on our list.

This is linked to from the non-dev FAQ, but I'll make sure to add a section about 2FA to the dev section.

Thanks!


Re: Q9, you could at least put in a link to zxcvb[1] so that they can be aware that it's an issue and that there's libraries for implementing it.

[1] https://tech.dropbox.com/2012/04/zxcvbn-realistic-password-s...




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