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Log Bad Passwords

Log Bad Passwords 1.2

Overview

Capture the bad passwords your users type. Learn and track what bad passwords your valid users are entering into login screens.

One day, while trying to remember which password I used to log into my Google account, it occurred to me that Google could easily track bad passwords and associate them to a particular user. With this information, along with the rest of what Google knows about us, they could easily gain access to other accounts and services.

So, I wrote this pair of plugins to provide this capability to Joomla administrators. Because this plugin only stores bad passwords, storing clear text passwords isn't exactly a security risk because they're known bad. When a user changes his or her password to one that is already in the stored list, that password is cleared from the list.

The list appears on the user edit screen in administrator and nowhere else. Administrators also have the option of clearing the list for individual users. Additionally, the plugin can be configured to store bad passwords for the frontend, the backend and to exclude specific groups from bad password storage.

This package was an experiment, to determine if it could be safely built. I wouldn't suggest running it on public sites because it may expose the passwords your users use on other sites.

Is this extension unethical? It depends on what you use it for. For a support representative on a private intranet site - this can be a very useful tool. Using this on a public site may be more questionable. I released it so everyone would know it's possible, as a warning - not so accounts can be compromised. Either way - please keep your opinions on ethics out of your review.

If you're concerned that a site might be using it, you can browse the site for /plugins/system/logbadpasswords/index.html . If the page is blank, the site uses the extension. If you receive an error - the site does not use it.

Installation

  1. Download Log Bad Passwords from the RicheyWeb download page.
    • This page will remain unlinked, as the link may change in the future. Visit http://www.richeyweb.com and use the search feature - search for "Log Bad Passwords".
  2. In Joomla /administrator, go to the "Extensions" menu, the "Manage" sub-menu, and the "Install" sub-menu.
  3. Select the "Upload Package File" tab
  4. Press the "Choose File" button to browse your system and locate the plugin file you downloaded
  5. Press the "Upload & Install" button

At this point, the extension is installed but not enabled. You can find the plugin by going to the Extensions menu and selecting "Plugins". When in the plugin manager, search for "Log Bad Passwords".

Configuration

  1. Install the package.
  2. Enable both plugins.
  3. Configure the User - Log Bad Passwords plugin to set where it should run, and what group restrictions should be enabled.

HELP

Please report bugs