Password as the first line of defence. How to create a strong and unique password (PDF)

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject Computer Science - IT-Security, Anglia Ruskin University, language: English, abstract: Passwords are the first line of defence in any computer systems. Weak passwords or bad habits used when the creation of passwords put sensitive information in danger. In this article, we will discuss the bad habits of password creations, some of the attacks that are used to detect the passwords, identification versus authentication, factors of authentications. Finally, the guidelines used to create a strong unique password are presented.

There are many factors affecting password security apart from creating a complex password. Stanislav (2015) mentioned that passwords can be compromised in many ways. For example, user can be redirected a fake web service to steal your login information. Additionally, key logger is a simple form of malware that can steal sensitive information such as passwords. Not only this but also, brute force attacks can be launched to try a different set of passwords to identify user's passwords. Password database has protected passwords (e.g. passwords hashes) that can be cracked to obtain passwords information. Moreover, hacker can use social engineering to convince users to share passwords. Finally, Lack of user awareness will make the user carelessly write the passwords on sticky note on his table and anyone can use it.