FascistCheck(3) Debian GNU/Linux manual FascistCheck(3)

# [NAME](#NAME)

FascistCheck - a pro-active password checker library

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

**#include <crack.h>**

**static char const CRACKLIB\_DICTPATH\[] =  ...;**

**extern char const \***  
**FascistCheck(char const passwd\[], char const dictpath\[]);**

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

cracklib is a library containing the **FascistCheck** C function which may be used in a "passwd" like program. The idea is simple: try to prevent users from choosing passwords that could be guessed by "crack" by filtering them out, at source. cracklib is an offshoot of the the version 5 of the "crack" software and contains a considerable number of ideas nicked from the new software.

The first formal argument **password** is the potential password. The second formal argument **dictpath** is the full path name + filename prefix of the cracklib dictionary database. **FascistCheck** returns the NULL pointer for a good password, or a pointer to a diagnostic string if it is a weak password.

The database is in a binary format generated by the utilities [**crack\_mkdict**(8)](/man/enterprise-packages/cracklib/crack_mkdict.8) and [**crack\_packer**(8)](/man/enterprise-packages/cracklib/crack_packer.8). On a Debian system the database is located in the directory defined by the static constant **CRACKLIB\_DICTPATH** and is set to /var/cache/cracklib/cracklib\_dict. None of the subroutines in the cracklib libraries have this location hard-coded into their implementations. It is generated daily with the program /etc/cron.daily/cracklib.

# [FILES](#FILES)

*/var/cache/cracklib/cracklib\_dict.\[hwm|pwd|pwi]*

cracklib dictionary database files used by utilities.

*/etc/cron.daily/cracklib*

cracklib daily cron program to rebuild the cracklib dictionary database.

*/etc/cracklib/cracklib.conf*

cracklib configuration file used by the cracklib daily cron program to rebuild the cracklib dictionary database.

*/usr/sbin/crack\_mkdict*

cracklib shell script to create initial list of words for dictionary database.

*/usr/share/doc/cracklib2-dev/examples*

Example [**cc**(1)](/man/enterprise-packages/cracklib/cc.1) source files that show how **FascistCheck** is used.

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[**crack\_teststr**(8)](/man/enterprise-packages/cracklib/crack_teststr.8), [**crack\_mkdict**(8)](/man/enterprise-packages/cracklib/crack_mkdict.8), [**update-cracklib**(8)](/man/enterprise-packages/cracklib/update-cracklib.8)  
/usr/share/doc/cracklib2-dev/examples  
/usr/share/doc/cracklib2/cracklib2.html  
/usr/share/doc/cracklib2-dev/cracklib2-dev.html

# [AUTHOR](#AUTHOR)

**cracklib2** is written by Alec Muffett <alecm@crypto.dircon.co.uk>. Manual added by Jean Pierre LeJacq <jplejacq@quoininc.com>.

Wed, 3 Oct 2001 01:37:09 +0100 2.7-8.5

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Document: FascistCheck(3) from cracklib 2.10.4-r0 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://github.com/cracklib/cracklib