Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Password Strength Needs a Boost

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    October 16, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      When it comes to passwords, users are often the weakest link in the chain.

      According to a survey by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and IT University in Copenhagen found that just four percent of the people surveyed obeyed best practices for passwords. The survey focused on 836 staff members at company handling “very sensitive private information.”

      What the academics uncovered was that just four percent of those surveyed obeyed best practice rules for passwords. Others frequently did not, doing things such as using the same passwords for different systems or writing their passwords down on post-it notes.

      “On an average, respondents have different 4.1 passwords to logon to different computers and/or access different computer applications at work,” the researchers state in their paper. “If we include passwords used at home that number increases to 9. Eighteen percent of the respondents always use the same password to access the different computer systems, application or websites, 50% sometimes use the same password and sometimes another password, and 31% always use different passwords.”

      This study comes on the back of an analysis of the strength of a batch of stolen passwords Acunetix. The company found similarly that many users were utilizing weak passwords to protect their Microsoft Hotmail accounts.

      Just what to do about this, beyond continuing user education, is anybody’s guess. But the report from IT University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests it may be time to abandon code words for pictures.

      “There are also other solutions to overcome human limitations,” the report states. “For example several studies have shown that human beings are better at recognizing pictures than words or sentences and pictures are better stored in the long-term memory…Most efficient are two- or three step authentication methods, for example a combination of a token based ands knowledge-based authentication (for example a smart card in combination with a PIN number), a combination of biometrics and passwords, or a combination of token-based authentication and biometrics, depending

      on the level of security needed.”

      The question is, is your enterprise doing enough?

      Avatar
      Brian Prince

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×