As the recent break-in at Microsoft’s network demonstrated, all it takes is one lousy password to give a cracker unbridled access to an entire network. How do you protect your network from users who insist on leaving doors open by using weak, easilyguessed passwords? Do you try to balance password security with user convenience? Do you have standards for password length and complexity? Do you force users to change passwords regularly? Are you seriously considering smart cards or other authentication devices? I’m looking for real-world solutions that Windows 2000 administrators can use to safeguard the doors to their networks. Share your solutions with fellow network administrators. I’ll print the best answers in a forthcoming Microsoft Challenge column.
