Passwords have become an integral part of our everyday lives, keeping our money, our data and our secrets safe. But what makes a good one, or a bad one for that matter? Click, friend, and enter.

In this podcast we look at how hackers exploit passwords and analyse the common themes that make them easy to hack. We also consider whether having password restrictions (e.g. mandating password length or character requirements) may actually be doing more harm than good. Finally, we explore how passwords and security might evolve in the future as authentication technologies advance.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:
World’s worst passwords https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/news/worst-passwords-2020 8
6 reasons biometrics are bad authenticators https://www.csoonline.com/article/3330695/6-reasons-biometrics-are-bad-authenticators-and-1-acceptable-use.html
Have I been pwned? https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Breached websites: https://haveibeenpwned.com/PwnedWebsites
Why 2FA SMS is a bad idea
https://blog.sucuri.net/2020/01/why-2fa-sms-is-a-bad-idea.html
PIN number analysis https://www.datagenetics.com/blog/september32012/
Password Cracking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-RbOKanYs
Yildirim and Mackie (2019), Encouraging users to improve password security and memorability https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10207-019-00429-y
Password Managers https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/02/20/password-managers-have-a-security-flaw-heres-how-to-avoid-it/
XKCD https://xkcd.com/936/


Find more Cognitive Engineering episodes here http://podcast.alephinsights.com and for more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com
Image: Santeri Viinamäki via Wikimedia Commons

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