Password Complexity, Hash Iterations and Entropy

The text discusses the possibility of reducing the number of password hashing iterations from 4096 to just one for security and performance optimization purposes in Neon, a database system. It delves into the debate around maintaining a balance between security and resources while improving performance. The discussion includes an analysis of brute-force strength, password entropy, PBKDF2 iterations, and various scenarios with different parameters. The conclusion is that it is possible to safely reduce the number of SCRAM password hashing iterations from 4096 to just one for randomly generated passwords by making the password longer, as this eliminates the possibility of dictionary attacks and reduces the chances of successful brute-force attacks.