Password Strength Meter

Question

I have a situation where I would like to be able to rate a users password in the web interface to my system, so that before they hit submit they know if they have a bad password.

Key Requirements:

• Must be able to rate the password, not just pass/fail.
• Should disable the form if the password is below a threshhold, so the user can't submit it.
• Look nice. :)
• Not use jQuery - we're currently using Mochikit and Y!UI in this system.

I've found many password meters written in jQuery, and things like http://www.passwordmeter.com/ that are too verbose.

Can anyone suggest a good drop in javascript password rater I can use, or give an example of how to write one?

Answer 1

Here's a collection of scripts: http://webtecker.com/2008/03/26/collection-of-password-strength-scripts/

This one doesn't use a framework: http://www.codeandcoffee.com/2007/07/how-to-make-a-password-strength-meter-like-google-v20/

And this one uses Prototype/Scriptaculous: http://ajaxorized.com/?p=14

I think both of them rate the password and don't use jQuery... but I don't know if they have native support for disabling the form?

Answer 2

Password Strength Algorithm:

Password Length:
    5 Points: Less than 4 characters
    10 Points: 5 to 7 characters
    25 Points: 8 or more

Letters:
    0 Points: No letters
    10 Points: Letters are all lower case
    20 Points: Letters are upper case and lower case

Numbers:
    0 Points: No numbers
    10 Points: 1 number
    20 Points: 3 or more numbers

Characters:
    0 Points: No characters
    10 Points: 1 character
    25 Points: More than 1 character

Bonus:
    2 Points: Letters and numbers
    3 Points: Letters, numbers, and characters
    5 Points: Mixed case letters, numbers, and characters

Password Text Range:

    >= 90: Very Secure
    >= 80: Secure
    >= 70: Very Strong
    >= 60: Strong
    >= 50: Average
    >= 25: Weak
    >= 0: Very Weak

Settings Toggle to true or false, if you want to change what is checked in the password

var m_strUpperCase = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
var m_strLowerCase = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
var m_strNumber = "0123456789";
var m_strCharacters = "!@#$%^&*?_~"

Check password


function checkPassword(strPassword)
{
    // Reset combination count
    var nScore = 0;

    // Password length
    // -- Less than 4 characters
    if (strPassword.length < 5)
    {
        nScore += 5;
    }
    // -- 5 to 7 characters
    else if (strPassword.length > 4 && strPassword.length < 8)
    {
        nScore += 10;
    }
    // -- 8 or more
    else if (strPassword.length > 7)
    {
        nScore += 25;
    }

    // Letters
    var nUpperCount = countContain(strPassword, m_strUpperCase);
    var nLowerCount = countContain(strPassword, m_strLowerCase);
    var nLowerUpperCount = nUpperCount + nLowerCount;
    // -- Letters are all lower case
    if (nUpperCount == 0 && nLowerCount != 0) 
    { 
        nScore += 10; 
    }
    // -- Letters are upper case and lower case
    else if (nUpperCount != 0 && nLowerCount != 0) 
    { 
        nScore += 20; 
    }

    // Numbers
    var nNumberCount = countContain(strPassword, m_strNumber);
    // -- 1 number
    if (nNumberCount == 1)
    {
        nScore += 10;
    }
    // -- 3 or more numbers
    if (nNumberCount >= 3)
    {
        nScore += 20;
    }

    // Characters
    var nCharacterCount = countContain(strPassword, m_strCharacters);
    // -- 1 character
    if (nCharacterCount == 1)
    {
        nScore += 10;
    }   
    // -- More than 1 character
    if (nCharacterCount > 1)
    {
        nScore += 25;
    }

    // Bonus
    // -- Letters and numbers
    if (nNumberCount != 0 && nLowerUpperCount != 0)
    {
        nScore += 2;
    }
    // -- Letters, numbers, and characters
    if (nNumberCount != 0 && nLowerUpperCount != 0 && nCharacterCount != 0)
    {
        nScore += 3;
    }
    // -- Mixed case letters, numbers, and characters
    if (nNumberCount != 0 && nUpperCount != 0 && nLowerCount != 0 && nCharacterCount != 0)
    {
        nScore += 5;
    }


    return nScore;
}

// Runs password through check and then updates GUI 


function runPassword(strPassword, strFieldID) 
{
    // Check password
    var nScore = checkPassword(strPassword);


     // Get controls
        var ctlBar = document.getElementById(strFieldID + "_bar"); 
        var ctlText = document.getElementById(strFieldID + "_text");
        if (!ctlBar || !ctlText)
            return;

        // Set new width
        ctlBar.style.width = (nScore*1.25>100)?100:nScore*1.25 + "%";

    // Color and text
    // -- Very Secure
    /*if (nScore >= 90)
    {
        var strText = "Very Secure";
        var strColor = "#0ca908";
    }
    // -- Secure
    else if (nScore >= 80)
    {
        var strText = "Secure";
        vstrColor = "#7ff67c";
    }
    // -- Very Strong
    else 
    */
    if (nScore >= 80)
    {
        var strText = "Very Strong";
        var strColor = "#008000";
    }
    // -- Strong
    else if (nScore >= 60)
    {
        var strText = "Strong";
        var strColor = "#006000";
    }
    // -- Average
    else if (nScore >= 40)
    {
        var strText = "Average";
        var strColor = "#e3cb00";
    }
    // -- Weak
    else if (nScore >= 20)
    {
        var strText = "Weak";
        var strColor = "#Fe3d1a";
    }
    // -- Very Weak
    else
    {
        var strText = "Very Weak";
        var strColor = "#e71a1a";
    }

    if(strPassword.length == 0)
    {
    ctlBar.style.backgroundColor = "";
    ctlText.innerHTML =  "";
    }
else
    {
    ctlBar.style.backgroundColor = strColor;
    ctlText.innerHTML =  strText;
}
}

// Checks a string for a list of characters
function countContain(strPassword, strCheck)
{ 
    // Declare variables
    var nCount = 0;

    for (i = 0; i < strPassword.length; i++) 
    {
        if (strCheck.indexOf(strPassword.charAt(i)) > -1) 
        { 
                nCount++;
        } 
    } 

    return nCount; 
} 

You can customize by yourself according to your requirement.