Strong Passwords May Contain Parts of the Full Name

ID: Q247975

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2 includes a new feature that forces users to use strong passwords. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q161990 How to Enable Strong Password Functionality in Windows NT

The strong password policy states that the password may not contain your user name or any part of your full name; however, this does not hold true. For example, a user who is named "Userfirstname Userlastname" can successfully create the password "xxx*Userlastname123."

RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. If you are not severely affected by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows NT 4.0 service pack that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The English-language version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:


   Date         Time     Size     File name      Platform
   ------------------------------------------------------
   12/06/1999   02:35p    7,952   Passfilt.dll   x86
   12/06/1999   02:34p   13,072   Passfilt.dll   Alpha

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug