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Latest coverage for Passwords

Password security helps prevent unauthorized access, while weak or reused credentials can expose accounts, systems, and sensitive data.

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Background for this topic.

Passwords are secret strings used to verify identity and control access to accounts, devices, applications, and services. They remain a common authentication method, but their security depends mainly on secrecy, length, and uniqueness rather than predictable complexity rules. A password reused across services can expose multiple accounts if one service is compromised; short, common, or previously leaked passwords are more susceptible to guessing and automated credential-stuffing attacks.

Practical defenses include using a password manager to generate and store a distinct, long password for each service, blocking known compromised passwords, and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) where available. Organizations should protect stored passwords with slow, salted one-way hashing, restrict and monitor authentication attempts, and provide secure recovery processes. Password changes are most useful after suspected compromise or exposure, rather than as routine changes that encourage predictable variations. Security teams should also treat password databases and reset mechanisms as sensitive assets during vulnerability assessment and incident response.

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Krebs on Security 3 years, 4 months ago

Who’s Behind the NetWire Remote Access Trojan?

A Croatian national has been arrested for allegedly operating NetWire, a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) marketed on cybercrime forums since 2012 as a stealthy way to spy on infected systems and siphon passwords. The arrest coincided with a seizure of the NetWire sales website by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While the defendant in this case hasn’t yet been named publicly, the NetWire website has been leaking information about the likely true identity and location of its owner for the past 11 years.

More from Krebs on Security 10 Mar 2023, 7:52 a.m. America Cybercrime FBI Forums Infection Investigation Leak Passwords Remote Access Trojan Seizure Trojan
The Register 3 years, 4 months ago

Securing ways to share workplace passwords

Keeper protects your team’s credentials without slowing down business Sponsored Feature When the first computer system passwords were set in 1961, few people needed to carry personal credentials to get through daily life. Nowadays, login credentials are ubiquitous across nearly every application, software and web service.…

More from The Register 8 Mar 2023, 10:30 p.m. Credentials Passwords