Following a more recent hack in to the Stratfor Global Intelligence computer network, the Utah Valley University went to task to analyze the strength of passwords released after the hack attack. The university endeavor analyzed the sorts of passwords that individuals utilize and if they're complicated sufficient to protect against cyber criminals from getting entry to very sensitive information.
Following the Strafor information breach, which had been perpetrated by hackers, related to Anonymous, the group utilized 120 computers to decode encrypted passwords. The hackers had unveiled the names, e-mail addresses, credit card numbers and encrypted passwords of individuals who had signed up with Stratfor.
The e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords had been most likely probably the most beneficial of the info obtained. Both of these bits of info can provide thieves accessibility to be able to infiltrate other businesses. The emails of hundreds of a large number of individuals had been exposed. These affected individuals can now be targeted by e-mail with malicious software program.
What Utah researchers found was that many of the passwords were quite simple and easy to decode. The researchers noted that this practice is very dangerous, especially with regard to criminals reusing the same password over and over on systems that may contain private data and information.
Stratfor did provide a level of security on the passwords, which were stored cryptographically as an MD5 hash. This is a practice that helps to protect the information to some extent. However, as the University researchers found out using modest computing power and programs designed to crack passwords, many of the released MD5 password hashes could be decoded back into their original password. The simpler and shorter the password, the faster that it could be decoded by the scientists.
The college study team stated it's been in a position to decode roughly 160,000 passwords from Stratfor.
The team won't put out the passwords for ethical reasons, but will probably be utilized as component of a study of general trends in how individuals choose passwords and just how resistant these passwords are or are not to cracking efforts. The study demonstrates how essential it's for individuals to choose complicated passwords, or types with a minimum of eight or nine characters, a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters together with numbers as well as punctuation.
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Following the Strafor information breach, which had been perpetrated by hackers, related to Anonymous, the group utilized 120 computers to decode encrypted passwords. The hackers had unveiled the names, e-mail addresses, credit card numbers and encrypted passwords of individuals who had signed up with Stratfor.
The e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords had been most likely probably the most beneficial of the info obtained. Both of these bits of info can provide thieves accessibility to be able to infiltrate other businesses. The emails of hundreds of a large number of individuals had been exposed. These affected individuals can now be targeted by e-mail with malicious software program.
What Utah researchers found was that many of the passwords were quite simple and easy to decode. The researchers noted that this practice is very dangerous, especially with regard to criminals reusing the same password over and over on systems that may contain private data and information.
Stratfor did provide a level of security on the passwords, which were stored cryptographically as an MD5 hash. This is a practice that helps to protect the information to some extent. However, as the University researchers found out using modest computing power and programs designed to crack passwords, many of the released MD5 password hashes could be decoded back into their original password. The simpler and shorter the password, the faster that it could be decoded by the scientists.
The college study team stated it's been in a position to decode roughly 160,000 passwords from Stratfor.
The team won't put out the passwords for ethical reasons, but will probably be utilized as component of a study of general trends in how individuals choose passwords and just how resistant these passwords are or are not to cracking efforts. The study demonstrates how essential it's for individuals to choose complicated passwords, or types with a minimum of eight or nine characters, a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters together with numbers as well as punctuation.
For more information read about usb flash drive review.
About the Author:
Oliver David writes and contributes articles for Lok-it.net and other websites on topics like usb encryption and secure flash drive.
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