Automated Password Generator (APG)

Published

October 5, 1993

Author(s)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Charles Dinkel

Abstract

[Withdrawn on October 19, 2015] The Automated Password Generator Standard specifies an algorithm to generate passwords for the protection of computer resources. This standard is for use in conjunction with FIPS PUB 112, Password Usage Standard, which provides basic security criteria for the design, implementation, and use of passwords. The algorithm uses random numbers to select the characters that form the random pronounceable passwords. The random numbers are generated by a random number subroutine based on the Electronic Codebook mode of the Data Encryption Standard (DES) (FIPS PUB 46-1). The random number subroutine uses a pseudorandom DES key generated in accordance with the procedure described in Appendix C of ANSI X9.17.

Citation

Federal Inf. Process. Stds. (NIST FIPS) - 181

Report Number

181

NIST Pub Series

Federal Inf. Process. Stds. (NIST FIPS)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

automated password generator, computer security, Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS, password, random numbers

Citation

(NIST), N. and Dinkel, C. (1993), Automated Password Generator (APG), Federal Inf. Process. Stds. (NIST FIPS), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=901456 (Accessed October 9, 2025)