Hackers Beware

The Current State of Passwords

As I’ve mentioned, the current state of passwords in most companies is poor. The way most companies set up their security, passwords become the first and only line of defense. In cases where they are weak, it creates a major hole that an attacker can use to compromise a system. If an attacker can compromise a user’s password, he receives full access to the system. This creates a major problem. Even if passwords are very strong, they should not be the only line of defense.

One of the main reasons passwords are the only line of defense is that companies do not have access control lists, which limit who can access what information and provide other security measures. A typical access control list states which individuals ...