question about passwords

[twistedmike]

is it possible for when the use enters a password that it can be encrypted and saved in an external file. and it is encrypted with a some sort of user generated recovery question? any feedback on the topic would be much appreciated.

[Lindley]

It's possible, but that's not how I'd do it. Typically passwords should not be stored; rather, a 1-way hash of the password should be stored. Then you can just hash any passwords entered later and compare the hashes.

[Peter_APIIT]

Good point.

[twistedmike]

how do i do a 1-way hash?

[laserlight]

how do i do a 1-way hash?

You can use one from a cryptographic library, or implement a published one yourself (do not invent your own). You should also include a salt along with each password to frustrate dictionary attacks.