passphrase
<operating system> A string of words and characters that you type in to 
authenticate yourself. Passphrases differ from passwords only in length. 
Passwords are usually short - six to ten characters. Passphrases are usually 
much longer - up to 100 characters or more. Their greater length makes 
passphrases more secure. Modern passphrases were invented by Sigmund N. Porter 
in 1982.
 
Phil Zimmermann's popular encryption program PGP, for example, requires you to 
make up a passphrase that you then must enter whenever you sign or decrypt 
messages.
 
http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.page.html.
 
(1996-12-21)
 
  
 
  
Nearby terms: 
							PASRO « PASSIM « passive matrix display « 
							passphrase 
							» password » Password Authentication Protocol » 
							paste
 
							
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