nerdexam
GIAC

GPEN · Question #235

Which of the following options holds the strongest password?

The correct answer is B. $#164aviD^%. Password strength is determined by length, complexity, and unpredictability; mixing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special symbols in a non-dictionary pattern yields the highest entropy.

Exploitation & Post-Exploitation Techniques

Question

Which of the following options holds the strongest password?

Options

  • AJoe12is23good
  • B$#164aviD^%
  • Ccalifornia
  • DAdmin1234

How the community answered

(29 responses)
  • A
    17% (5)
  • B
    72% (21)
  • C
    7% (2)
  • D
    3% (1)

Why each option

Password strength is determined by length, complexity, and unpredictability; mixing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special symbols in a non-dictionary pattern yields the highest entropy.

AJoe12is23good

Joe12is23good uses only letters and digits with a name and common words, making it susceptible to dictionary-based and hybrid attacks despite its length.

B$#164aviD^%Correct

$#164aviD^% is the strongest password because it combines special characters, digits, and mixed-case letters with no recognizable dictionary words or predictable patterns, producing high entropy that resists both brute-force and dictionary attacks. The presence of multiple symbol characters significantly expands the keyspace compared to alphanumeric-only passwords of similar length.

Ccalifornia

california is a single lowercase dictionary word with zero complexity, making it trivially cracked by any dictionary attack in seconds.

DAdmin1234

Admin1234 follows one of the most commonly used and leaked password patterns - a capitalized common word followed by sequential digits - and would be among the first guesses in any credential attack.

Concept tested: Password complexity and entropy evaluation

Source: https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63b.html

Topics

#password strength#password complexity#special characters#authentication security

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