WhatsApp uses a customised version of XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) as the communication protocol. Upon installation, it creates a user account using one’s phone number (with country code prefix) as the username (Jabber ID: [phone number]@s.whatsapp.net). A password is generated using an unknown algorithm on the server end and sent to the client. Previously the password was derived from the phone’s IMEI or the WiFi MAC address.
At work, I have a couple of shell scripts to perform LDAP queries. Initially the scripts were hard-coded with the login credentials of a read-only user. But as the scripts were enhanced to handle LDAP query updates, I realised that it was not a good idea anymore to hard-code the username and password as I was just inviting trouble. And the scripts will be a big NO during system audit.
Linux has all the tools you need to generate a random password. This can be accomplished by a special file /dev/random, that serves as a random number generator.
In modern UNIX and Linux systems, user passwords are encrypted and stored in the /etc/shadow file. On BSD systems, the passwords are kept in the /etc/master.passwd file. The encrypted password field in the file contains more than just the encrypted password, it contains additional information.
You can change the Windows Domain User Account Password from the Command Line using the net command. This is applicable to Windows NT line of operating systems – NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista and so on.
If you have set a root password for MySQL previously, but have forgotten what it was, you can reset the password without much hassle.
Never leave your Firefox browser unattended with your password keyed in. Your password can be stolen even before you know it.
