(no subject)

[tamakun]

Just how does "pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete protect your password", anyhow?

I think if I remember reading correctly, it had to do with Windows (or PCs in general) not accepting any commands after the three-finger salute, and that includes virus key-readers. Even reading the simple "what does this mean?" which doesn't give meaning is confusing me...

Comments

[davidn]

The idea is that only Windows itself can pick up on the Ctrl+Alt+Delete combination (though seeing as Windows has pretty huge holes in it in every other respect I would naturally doubt the watertightness of this claim...) - therefore you can be sure that the logon window that you receive as a reaction to pressing the combination is genuine. I'm not too sure about key-readers, but I would hope that that logon window isolates itself so that absolutely no other processes could possibly be listening in...

[tamakun.livejournal.com]

Ah, that makes sense. However, as you've stated, Windows is not watertight... I would think that at this point in the game (it was started back in XP, and here we are, what, 12 years later with Vista and 7?) and they still use that combination.

I'm pretty studious when it comes to viruses and keyloggers, and have dealt with my share of viruses in the past, I just find it funny that we have all these little procedures we need to still do to protect our passwords. Or rather, protect our passwords from other "applications" ;)

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

What I hate about the "password security" is the sad-ass requirements for a supposedly secure password. Then you enter a nice long secure passphrase, and Windows says "ZOMG! Other versions may not recognise your awesome passphrase of security." Argh. All the while, February 2010 fits the criteria.