Secure Password Checker - Java

A beginner-friendly Java command-line tool that checks password strength and gives clear security recommendations.

This project is part of my journey toward becoming a Secure AI Engineer by building practical software with a cybersecurity mindset.

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Repository Description

Short GitHub description:

Java CLI tool for checking password strength while practicing secure coding, input validation, and cybersecurity fundamentals.

Recommended visibility: Public

Recommended topics:

java cybersecurity secure-coding password-security cli-tool beginner-project owasp student-project

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Features

• Checks password length
• Detects uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
• Detects common weak passwords
• Gives a strength rating: WEAK, MODERATE, or STRONG
• Provides improvement suggestions
• Does not store, log, or transmit passwords
• Includes beginner-friendly Java code and unit tests

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Tech Stack

• Java 17+
• Maven
• JUnit 5 for tests
• IntelliJ IDEA or VS Code

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Project Structure

secure-password-checker-java/
├── src/
│   ├── main/java/com/mrhays/security/passwordchecker/
│   │   ├── App.java
│   │   ├── PasswordAnalysis.java
│   │   ├── PasswordRating.java
│   │   └── PasswordStrengthChecker.java
│   └── test/java/com/mrhays/security/passwordchecker/
│       └── PasswordStrengthCheckerTest.java
├── docs/
│   └── ROADMAP.md
├── .github/
│   ├── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
│   │   ├── bug_report.md
│   │   └── feature_request.md
│   ├── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
│   └── workflows/
│       └── java-ci.yml
├── .gitignore
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── LICENSE
├── pom.xml
├── README.md
└── SECURITY.md

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Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Mrhays007/secure-password-checker-java.git
cd secure-password-checker-java

2. Run tests

mvn test

3. Build the project

mvn clean package

4. Run the app

mvn exec:java

Alternatively, open the project in IntelliJ IDEA and run App.java.

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Example Output

====================================
 Secure Password Checker - Java
====================================
Enter a password to analyze: ********

Rating: STRONG
Score: 90/100

Positive checks:
- Good length
- Contains uppercase letters
- Contains lowercase letters
- Contains numbers
- Contains symbols

Suggestions:
- No major issues found. Keep using unique passwords for every account.

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Security Notes

This is an educational project and is not intended to be used as a production password manager or authentication system.

Security-conscious practices included:

• Passwords are not saved to files
• Passwords are not printed back to the terminal
• Password analysis happens locally
• Common weak passwords are rejected
• Input is validated before analysis

Future improvements:

• Add password entropy estimation
• Add larger common-password blocklist support
• Add password breach-checking concept notes without sending passwords directly
• Add GUI or web version later

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What I Learned

Through this project, I am practicing:

• Java classes and methods
• Input validation
• Basic security thinking
• Clean project structure
• Writing technical documentation
• Writing unit tests
• Using GitHub issues and pull requests professionally

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Roadmap

See docs/ROADMAP.md.

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Continuous Integration

This repository includes a GitHub Actions workflow that runs mvn test on every push or pull request to main.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.