Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by eli on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @09:11PM
(#7741663)
I don't find that scary. I think it's a testament to the original architects and to the people who maintain it.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by Alupis on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @09:22PM
(#7741703)
It's 2014. Passwords need to be treated as a serious matter. Legacy system or not, there is no good reason to reduce keyspace. As others have mentioned, this is a sign that passwords are being made compatible with old phones without these letters available... and likely the passwords being reduced to numbers before storage. The prohibition of special characters also seems to corroborate this.
Furthermore, the poster below who showed screenshots of being emailed their password indicates JetBlue is storing passwords either in plain-text, or encrypting them (both just as bad), instead of properly cryptographically hashing before storage.
Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by cbsmith on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @11:29PM
(#7742036)
Honestly, if you add one extra digit/character to the password, that more than compensates for the loss of Q & Z. There are lots of circumstances where being able to work with legacy phone systems effortlessly would be most helpful. If you are taking passwords seriously, this might be the very last thing you worry about.
Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by growupkids on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @10:48PM
(#7741935)
Or emailing them before they hash them.
Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by eddieroger on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @09:21PM
(#7741698)
I'm not sure about that. Sabre is an extremely (assumption) functional tool in an extremely niche market. That makes the barrier to enter it very high, and the barrier to rewrite equally so. Underneath the covers it could be a real piece hung together by duct tape and vacuum tubes, but why rewrite it if it's working and keeping planes in the air?
Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by fennecfoxen on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @10:32PM
(#7741895)
Because OMG HACKERS. Seriously, why do we have any security on anything?
Re:Passwords for JetBlue accounts cannot contain a Q or a Z
by zibit on Tuesday May 13, 2014 @09:27PM
(#7741712)
It's nice to see these thoughts at the top of the thread. I get tired of hearing people in the security industry constantly smirking at "dump developers". They don't have a clue what it's like to develop real code with deadlines. They point fingers at others and call that an accomplishment.