Question

This lesson introduces the concept of an intractable problem.

Explain in your own words what it means for a problem to be intractable.
Why is that a good thing when it comes to passwords?

Answer 1

An intractable problem cannot be effectively solved in a realistic time frame, often due to exponential growth in complexity with input size. This property is beneficial for password security because it makes brute-force attacks to crack passwords impractical, enhancing system security.

Step-by-step explanation:

An intractable problem in computer science refers to a problem that cannot be solved in a realistic amount of time or with realistic resources, often because the time required to solve the problem increases exponentially with the size of the input. In the context of passwords, intractability is beneficial because it means that attempting to crack a password by brute force (trying every possible combination) becomes impractical. This contributes to the security of systems, as it deters attackers by making password cracking computationally expensive and time-consuming.