Kevin Fenzi wrote:
I'd like us to add security query/respond pairs.
Those can very easily weaken security, as the answers are often public
and easy for an attacker to look up, especially when there are only a
few predefined questions to choose from.
If I can enter my own question, then I can come up with some things
that only I and my family know. That requires careful and security-
conscious consideration. Many people would come up with insecure
questions.
There's a limited supply of such personal secrets that I can be sure
I'll remember, so I can't do that for too many sites. It also requires
a not too public life. People who publish their entire lives on
Facebook will have trouble coming up with a question that an attacker
can't find the answer to.
Otherwise I'll make up a nonsensical phrase to enter as the answer, and
store it securely. That turns the "security question" into a backup
passphrase. If you want people to do this, then it's better to ask them
to make up a passphrase.
Björn Persson