"genp" utility on Usenix distribution is all buggered
David Sherman
dave at lsuc.uucp
Wed Mar 2 06:38:13 AEST 1988
Back in 1985 I posted "genp" to net.sources. This is a little
utility for generating gibberish but pronounceable passwords.
We use it here when creating accounts for 1,100 students every year.
Scanning the Usenix distribution tape tar list the other day, I noticed
"Utilities/Genp". Lo and behold, it's the same program, complete
with the text of my article to net.sources (<325 at lsuc.UUCP>, 24 Jan 85).
But some joker has mucked up the source. They've added punctuation, numbers
and upper case, all of which go against the whole point of making the
passwords pronounceable. And, for some peculiar reason, they've added
the LITERAL strings "consonant", "punctuation", "vowel" and "number"
to the list of consonants, so you now get passwords like
punctuation#ayzeconsonantUu
(I kid you not -- I just got this one). Real Bright.
Thankfully, the original source is in genp.c- in the same directory.
I certainly don't want *my* name associated with the junk in genp.c,
and the person who changed it didn't bother to add his/her name.
If you have the Usenix distribution tape and are doing anything
with the utilities, please do the following:
cd Utilities/Genp
mv genp.c genp.somejoker
mv genp.c- genp.c
Thank you. (If anyone uses genp, I'd be interested in hearing about it.)
David Sherman
The Law Society of Upper Canada
Toronto
--
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