Coming up with secure passwords for confidential computer files is

Question

Coming up with secure passwords for confidential computer files is difficult. Users prefer passwords that are easy to remember, such as birth dates or relatives’ names. Unfortunately, these are the easiest to guess for an outsider who wants to gain access to valuable information. Random configurations of letters and numbers are the hardest to guess, but these are also the easiest for legitimate users to forget. Users who forget their passwords use up the system administrator’s time; furthermore, passwords that are very difficult to remember are generally written down by users, and hence pose the greatest security threat of all.

If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true?

A. Computer users should not write down their passwords even if the passwords are hard to remember.
B. It is expensive to have system administrators constantly resetting forgetful users’ passwords.
C. Passwords that are random configurations of letters and numbers are the least likely to result in security breaches.
D. The easier a password is to remember, the more secure the computer account.
E. Passwords that are very easy to guess pose less of a security threat than passwords that are very difficult to remember.

gmataccount123 · Answer

E. Passwords that are very easy to guess pose less of a security threat than passwords that are very difficult to remember.

BinodBhai · Answer

E  for me

Last line says - passwords that are very difficult to remember are generally written down by users, and hence pose the greatest security threat of all. 
So easier passwords are not a bigger security threat than difficult passwords - that's what E states

C- security breaches aren't talked about and we can't comment about if they are least likely or not
D - can't be inferred

Sahil2345 · Answer

Hello  MayaShankar  can you please provide an official explanation

MS26 · Answer

A : Could be false. The stimulus does not state a value judgement about what users should not do. We know that written passwords pose the greatest security threat, but it is possible there are other reasons to write passwords that outweigh these risks
B: Could be false. The stimulus tells us that users who forget their passwords use up the administrator’s time, but we don’t have any information about how much this costs. It is possible that a system administrator’s time is not expensive 
C : Could be false. The stimulus tells us that these passwords are the easiest for legitimate users to forget. If they are the hardest to remember, then they may usually be written down and therefore pose the greatest security threat.
D: Could be false. The stimulus does not describe a correlation between security risk and the ease of remembering a password. It is possible that there is a point where the security level maximizes even though the password could change to become easier to remember
E : Must be true. The stimulus tells us that very difficult passwords to remember are usually written down, a practice that poses the greatest security threat. If this practice poses the greatest threat, then the threat associated with passwords that are easy to guess is less.

ManifestDreamMBA · Answer

A. Computer users should not write down their passwords even if the passwords are hard to remember.  This is not a true statement but a guidance 
B. It is expensive to have system administrators constantly resetting forgetful users’ passwords.  No mention of system administrators constantly resetting forgetful users’ passwords being expensive or inexpensive 
C. Passwords that are random configurations of letters and numbers are the least likely to result in security breaches.  Not true, if they are written down 
D. The easier a password is to remember, the more secure the computer account.  Not true, can be guessed easily then 
E. Passwords that are very easy to guess pose less of a security threat than passwords that are very difficult to remember.  This must be true, as passwords that are very difficult to remember are generally written down by users, and hence  pose the greatest security threat of all.  Everything else will be less of a security risk

Coming up with secure passwords for confidential computer files is

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