javascript #cybersecurity #webdev #showdev
Password security is an important part of everyday digital safety.
For my SecurePass project, I wanted to explore how a browser-based application could provide useful password feedback without sending the entered password to a server.
Introducing SecurePass
SecurePass is an educational password strength analyser and random password generator built using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
The application runs locally in the browser.
Its main features include:
- Live password strength feedback
- Common-password and predictable-pattern checks
- Improvement suggestions
- Random password generation
- Responsive design
- Automated tests
How Password Analysis Works
The application evaluates factors such as password length, character variety and predictable patterns.
It then displays a score between 0 and 100.
However, this is a heuristic score.
A high score does not guarantee that a password is secure.
A password may look complex but still be compromised, reused or vulnerable to other attacks.
Generating Random Passwords
One technical decision was using the browser's Web Crypto API.
The generator uses crypto.getRandomValues() as its source of secure randomness.
It also uses rejection sampling to avoid modulo bias when selecting characters.
This is preferable to relying on Math.random() for security-sensitive password generation.
Privacy Considerations
SecurePass does not require a backend to analyse passwords.
The repository documents that passwords are not uploaded, stored or sent to analytics services.
There are still limitations.
For example, copying a password to the system clipboard can expose it to other software.
The application also does not check whether a password has appeared in a known data breach.
Testing and Future Improvements
The project includes automated tests using Node.js's built-in test runner.
Planned improvements include:
- Evaluating a well-reviewed password estimation library
- Adding continuous integration
- Improving accessibility testing
- Adding a real application screenshot
What I Learned
This project helped me explore privacy-aware frontend design, browser cryptography and automated testing.
It also reinforced the importance of communicating security limitations clearly.
For real accounts, I recommend using unique passwords, a trusted password manager and multi-factor authentication.
GitHub: https://github.com/tasnem-tech/securepass-password-checker
What additional security features would you consider useful in an educational password tool?
Top comments (0)