LLMs Generate Predictable Passwords (www.schneier.com)

Recent observations reveal that large language models (LLMs) like Claude are generating predictable passwords, raising concerns for cybersecurity in the evolving landscape of autonomous AI. An analysis of 50 generated passwords indicated striking patterns: most start with an uppercase 'G' followed by the digit '7', and certain characters dominated while others rarely appeared. Notably, there were no repeating characters in any password, a divergence from the randomness expected in secure password creation. Over half of the attempts resulted in just 30 unique passwords, with one specific password appearing 18 times, showcasing a 36% probability of repetition. This finding is significant for the AI/ML community, highlighting vulnerabilities in LLM-generated content, particularly regarding secure systems needing robust authentication. As AI agents increasingly operate autonomously, they are likely to create accounts and interact with various digital platforms, underscoring the urgent need to address the shortcomings in LLMs' ability to generate secure, random passwords. The implications extend beyond mere password generation; they point to fundamental challenges in authenticating autonomous agents, which must be addressed to prevent potential security breaches in a world where AI plays a more central role.