[Python-ideas] Password masking for getpass.getpass

[Terry Reedy]

On 1/12/2016 8:11 PM, Muhammad Ahmed Khalid wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> I am working on a project and I am using getpass.getpass() to grab
> passwords from the user.
>
> Some of the users wanted asterisks to be displayed when they were typing
> in the passwords for feedback i.e. how many characters were typed and
> how many to backspace.
...
 > Please let me know about your thoughts on the issue.

You are debating the wrong issue.  I work at home.  I HATE Passwork 
Masking Security Theatre.  Since I cannot reliably type 10 random hidden 
characters (or so sites tell me), it causes me endless grief for 
0.00000% gain.  If any of my passwords is stolen, it will, with 
probability 1.0 - epsilon, be part of one of the hacks that steal 
millions at a time from corporate sites.  Epsilon would be something 
other than a stranger looking over my shoulder.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/we-need-to-stop-masking-passwords/

PS: When UNIX decided to give no feedback, most people had one short 
easy-to-remember, easy-to-type password.  Not a hundred hard to remember 
and type.

---
Terry Jan Reedy