![]() When faced with a file full of hashed passwords, a brute force attack can be used, trying every combination of characters for a range of password lengths. This process is repeated each time you login.įor example, the password “Pa$$w0rd” is given the value “02726d40f378e716981c4321d60ba3a325ed6a4c” when calculated using the SHA1 hashing algorithm. When you try to log in, the password you enter is hashed using the same process and compared to the version stored on the site. A hashed password is unrecognizable and can’t be turned back into the password (an irreversible process). Website passwords are usually stored in a protected manner using a mathematical algorithm called hashing. ![]() You can purchase almost 600 million passwords online for just AU$14! How are passwords stored on websites? The password space continues to expand as the length is increased and other character types are added. By including uppercase letters, we increase our password space to 52 potential passwords. If a one-character password only contains one lowercase letter, there are only 26 possible passwords (“a” to “z”). The maths behind this isn’t complex, but let’s examine it with an even simpler measure: the number of possible passwords, sometimes referred to as the “password space”. When talking about passwords, entropy is the measure of predictability. But we now have minimum length guidelines. ![]() Until relatively recently, a good password might have been a word or phrase of as little as six to eight characters. They’re now used for everything from the PIN we enter at an ATM, to logging in to our computers and various websites.īut why do we need to “prove” our identity to the systems we access? And why are passwords so hard to get right? What makes a good password? Passwords in an IT context emerged in the 1960s with mainframe computers – large centrally operated computers with remote “terminals” for user access. It’s a simple concept – a shared piece of information kept secret between individuals and used to “prove” identity. ![]() Passwords have been used for thousands of years as a means of identifying ourselves to others and in more recent times, to computers. ![]()
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