326423 - Auto display the 'strength' of passwords that are entered/autopopulated to the user.

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit :: Password Manager, enhancement)

Description

[matt]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8b4) Gecko/20050908 Firefox/1.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8b4) Gecko/20050908 Firefox/1.4

For every password field on the form, somehow display the strength of the password to the user.  This will help with the general security level of using the internet.  

Most user passwords are easy to guess.  This tool would help users out much like displaying the SSL 'lock' in the URL bar does.  

The password strength algorithm would possibly rank the password into either weak, ok, and stong.  

Possibly display the password strength by changing the background color and hover-text on the password entry box in accordance with the strength of the password.  Red - weak, Yellow - ok, Green - strong.  Display the stength even for auto-filled passwords.


Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Cignangulo [:cigno]]

Though maybe not the most urgent enhancement, I agree its a worthwile one and particularly so, as Fx' marketing would probably quite like to add it to its feature list.

Comment 2

[Justin Dolske [:Dolske]]

I don't think this is the right solution.

Weak passwords are common because they're easier to remember/type, not because users mistakenly think they're strong. Showing a strength indicator in passwords fields would just be nagging them.

A better solution would be to have the password manager take this burden away from users (eg, by suggesting and remembering strong passwords automatically, or by using strong authentication schemes like SRP or certificates).