An apocryphal one from the Russian-speaking corner of the Internet. I thought it was in the classic Rootless Root, but turns out I misremembered and it’s a different thing. I tracked down the source if you want to read more: [1][2][3][4] (some humor might be lost in translation).
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A sysadmin struggles to choose a strong password for his RADIUS server. He seeks advice from Master Ha Ker Noose.
“Master, in your opinion, is password ‘诺曼底登陆’ a strong one?”
“No”, said Master Ha. “For it is a common dictionary word.”
“But it’s not in the dictionary...”
“‘Dictionary’ means the wordlists used for brute-force attacks. Such lists are compiled from all combinations of letters and symbols ever mentioned on the Internet.”
“Okay... How about ‘шьзщыышиду’?”
“I doubt it. From the dictionary.”
“But how?! it’s—”
“Just google it. See for yourself.”
The sysadmin swiftly navigates the Web.
“You are absolutely right, Master.”
After some time, the sysadmin comes back:
“Master, I have managed to generate a good password which is not present in any dictionary.”
Master Ha nods with approval.
“I checked in Google”, the sysadmin goes on. “This combination does not exist on the Internet.”
“Master, in your opinion, is password ‘诺曼底登陆’ a strong one?”
“No”, said Master Ha. “For it is a common dictionary word.”
“But it’s not in the dictionary...”
“‘Dictionary’ means the wordlists used for brute-force attacks. Such lists are compiled from all combinations of letters and symbols ever mentioned on the Internet.”
“Okay... How about ‘шьзщыышиду’?”
“I doubt it. From the dictionary.”
“But how?! it’s—”
“Just google it. See for yourself.”
The sysadmin swiftly navigates the Web.
“You are absolutely right, Master.”
After some time, the sysadmin comes back:
“Master, I have managed to generate a good password which is not present in any dictionary.”
Master Ha nods with approval.
“I checked in Google”, the sysadmin goes on. “This combination does not exist on the Internet.”
“Now it does.”
[1] https://infowatch.livejournal.com/16359.html[2] https://infowatch.livejournal.com/16525.html
[3] https://infowatch.livejournal.com/59867.html
[4] https://infowatch.livejournal.com/110897.html