Password Strength Checker

A comprehensive password strength checking tool with both GUI and CLI interfaces. This application helps users create and validate secure passwords using advanced strength checking algorithms.

Features

• Dual Interface: Choose between a user-friendly GUI or efficient CLI
• Password Strength Analysis: Uses the zxcvbn algorithm for realistic password strength assessment
• Password Generation: Create strong, random passwords of customisable length
• Comprehensive Checks:
  • Minimum length requirements
  • Character complexity (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters)
  • Common password detection
  • Banned password detection
• Improvement Suggestions: Get specific recommendations to strengthen weak passwords
• Export Functionality: Save password check results to JSON (GUI mode)
• Logging: Track password checks with detailed logs

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/password-strength-checker.git
cd password-strength-checker

2. Install dependencies:

pip install zxcvbn

3. Ensure you have the required wordlist files:

• weak_passwords.txt: List of commonly used weak passwords
• banned_passwords.txt: List of banned passwords

Usage

GUI Mode

Run without arguments to launch the graphical interface:

python password_strength_checker.py

CLI Mode

1. Interactive CLI:

python password_strength_checker.py --cli

2. Direct password check:

python password_strength_checker.py --check "your_password_here"

3. Generate password:

# Default length (16 characters)
python password_strength_checker.py --generate

# Custom length
python password_strength_checker.py --generate --length 20

Command Line Arguments

• --cli: Launch interactive CLI mode
• --check PASSWORD: Check strength of a specific password
• --generate: Generate a strong password
• --length N: Specify length for generated password (default: 16)

Features in Detail

Password Strength Criteria

• Minimum length: 12 characters
• Character complexity:
  • Uppercase letters
  • Lowercase letters
  • Numbers
  • Special characters
• Checks against common weak passwords
• Checks against banned passwords
• Uses zxcvbn for advanced pattern matching

GUI Features

• Password strength visualisation
• Password generation with clipboard support
• Export results to JSON
• Security tips display
• Interactive feedback

CLI Features

• Interactive menu-driven interface
• Direct command execution
• Password generation with customisable length
• Detailed strength analysis output

Logging

The application logs all password checks to password_checker.log with the following information:

• Timestamp
• Action performed
• Strength result

Security Notes

• Passwords are never stored permanently
• All processing is done locally
• No external API calls for password checking
• Secure random generation for new passwords

Dependencies

• Python 3.x
• tkinter (included in standard Python distribution)
• zxcvbn

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, fork the repository, and create pull requests for any improvements.

License

This project is licensed under the GPL 3.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.