Troy Hunt

MARCH 10, 2021

Pwned Passwords is a repository of 613M passwords exposed in previous data breaches, which makes them very poor choices for future use. They're totally free and they have a really cool anonymity API that ensures no useful information about the password being searched for is ever exposed.

Passwords 352

Passwords IoT Password Management Data breaches 352

Troy Hunt

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

As technology has evolved, fingers (and palms and irises and faces) have increasingly been used as a means of biometric authentication. But doesn't this all make biometrics like passwords? What happens if someone obtains, say, my fingerprint just like they may obtain my password in a data breach or a phishing attack?

Authentication 338

Authentication Passwords Data breaches Risk 338

Krebs on Security

AUGUST 5, 2019

If you bank online and choose weak or re-used passwords, there’s a decent chance your account could be pilfered by cyberthieves — even if your bank offers multi-factor authentication as part of its login process. Crooks are constantly probing bank Web sites for customer accounts protected by weak or recycled passwords.

Banking 274

Banking Passwords Risk Accountability 274

Krebs on Security

MAY 7, 2022

Apple , Google and Microsoft announced this week they will soon support an approach to authentication that avoids passwords altogether, and instead requires users to merely unlock their smartphones to sign in to websites or online services. “I worry about forgotten password recovery for cloud accounts.”

Passwords 269

Passwords Authentication Accountability Mobile 269

The Last Watchdog

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

I currently have over 450 accounts that use passwords combined with a variety of two-factor authentication methods. Related: How the Fido Alliance enables password-less authentication. I don’t know every password; indeed, each password is long, complex and unique. Sharing protocols.

Authentication 235

Authentication Passwords Accountability Technology 235

The Last Watchdog

DECEMBER 6, 2021

For IT leaders, passwords no longer cut it. This traditional authentication method is challenging to get rid of, mostly because it’s so common. Every new account you sign up for, application you download, or device you purchase requires a password. Lowering password use. So why are they still around?

Authentication 251

Authentication Passwords Mobile Phishing 251

Troy Hunt

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Last week I wrote a couple of different pieces on passwords, firstly about why we're going to be stuck with them for a long time yet and then secondly, about how we all bear some responsibility for making good password choices. This week, I wanted to focus on going beyond passwords and talk about 2FA. It's a subset of MFA.

Passwords 263

Passwords Authentication Accountability Mobile 263

The Last Watchdog

JULY 24, 2023

Accessing vital information to complete day-to-day tasks at our jobs still requires using a password-based system at most companies. Today, bad actors are ruthlessly skilled at cracking passwords – whether through phishing attacks, social engineering, brute force, or buying them on the dark web. Some solutions do this today.

Authentication 245

Authentication Passwords Phishing Social Engineering 245

Troy Hunt

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

Allow me to be controversial for a moment: arbitrary password restrictions on banks such as short max lengths and disallowed characters don't matter. Also, allow me to argue with myself for a moment: banks shouldn't have these restrictions in place anyway. 6 characters. for my *online banking*.

Banking 241

Banking Passwords Accountability Authentication 241

The Last Watchdog

DECEMBER 6, 2022

Much more effective authentication is needed to help protect our digital environment – and make user sessions smoother and much more secure. Consider that some 80 percent of hacking-related breaches occur because of weak or reused passwords, and that over 90 percent of consumers continue to re-use their intrinsically weak passwords.

Authentication 203

Authentication Healthcare Artificial Intelligence Passwords 203

The Last Watchdog

JANUARY 31, 2022

We all rely on passwords. For better or worse, we will continue to use passwords to access our computing devices and digital services for years to come. Related : The coming of password-less access. Passwords were static to begin with. They have since been modified in two directions: biometrics and dynamic passwords.

Passwords 232

Passwords Computers and Electronics Password Management Artificial Intelligence 232

Krebs on Security

JANUARY 16, 2025

Those who fall for the scam are asked to provide payment card data, and eventually will be asked to supply a one-time password sent via SMS or a mobile authentication app. Reports of similar SMS phishing attacks against customers of other U.S. state-run toll facilities surfaced around the same time as the MassDOT alert.

Phishing 299

Phishing Scams Mobile Passwords 299

Krebs on Security

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

technology companies between 2021 and 2023, including LastPass , MailChimp , Okta , T-Mobile and Twilio. The targeted SMS scams asked employees to click a link and log in at a website that mimicked their employer’s Okta authentication page.

Identity Theft 248

Identity Theft Phishing Cryptocurrency Accountability 248

Security Affairs

FEBRUARY 16, 2025

Storm-2372s targets during this time have included government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), information technology (IT) services and technology, defense, telecommunications, health, higher education, and energy/oil and gas in Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East.” ” continues the report.

Phishing 115

Phishing Authentication Telecommunications Accountability 115

Malwarebytes

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

In this blog post, we take a look at how criminals are abusing Bing and stay under the radar at the same time while also bypassing advanced security features such as two-factor authentication. Once a victim types their user ID and password, criminals will receive the data immediately.

Engineering 125

Engineering Phishing Banking Authentication 125

Adam Levin

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In a public service announcement issued December 29, the FBI warned that “offenders have been using stolen e-mail passwords to access smart devices with cameras and voice capabilities and carry out swatting attacks.”. The post Hacked IoT Devices Livestreaming Swatting Attacks: FBI appeared first on Adam Levin.

IoT 300

IoT Hacking Internet Internet 300

Thales Cloud Protection & Licensing

MARCH 12, 2025

Breaking the Barriers to a Password-Free Life in Enterprise: Meet SafeNet eToken Fusion NFC PIV security key madhav Thu, 03/13/2025 - 06:46 As large organizations increasingly shift towards passwordless solutions, the benefits are clear: enhanced user experience, improved security, and significant cost savings.

Passwords 71

Passwords Authentication Digital transformation Government 71

Jane Frankland

JANUARY 19, 2025

For us in cyber, how do we navigate these new digital threats especially when we layer in the rise of AI and deepfake technologies, and the stakes grow even higher? Deepfake Technology Amplifying Risks: The evolution and democratisation of deepfake technology have blurred the line between reality and fabrication.

Cybersecurity 130

Cybersecurity Technology Scams Risk 130

SecureWorld News

MAY 2, 2024

In our digitally connected world, passwords are the gateway to protecting our online lives—from email and social media accounts to banking and private data. Yet, many of us still use alarmingly weak passwords or reuse the same ones across multiple sites, putting our digital identities at severe risk.

Passwords 111

Passwords Password Management Identity Theft Authentication 111

IT Security Guru

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

A prime example is multi-factor authentication (MFA), a security process that requires users to verify their identity in two or more ways, such as a password, a code sent to their phone, or a fingerprint. MFA Bombing: Armed with the compromised username and password, they initiate a login attempt and trigger an MFA prompt.

Social Engineering 118

Social Engineering Authentication Risk Accountability 118

Krebs on Security

JULY 29, 2021

Every time there is another data breach, we are asked to change our password at the breached entity. Our continued reliance on passwords for authentication has contributed to one toxic data spill or hack after another.

Passwords 363

Passwords Password Management Phishing Scams 363

Security Boulevard

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

The FIDO Alliance found in a survey that as consumers become more familiar with passkeys, they are adopting the technology as a more secure alternative to passwords to authenticate their identities online. The post FIDO: Consumers are Adopting Passkeys for Authentication appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Authentication 106

Authentication Passwords Technology Data privacy 106

Troy Hunt

APRIL 5, 2023

In its simplest form, the illegal data marketplace has long involved the exchange of currency for personal records containing attributes such as email addresses, passwords, names, etc. We block known breached passwords. We implement two factor authentication. So, we (the good guys) adapt and build better defences.

Marketing 355

Marketing Passwords Authentication Accountability 355

Krebs on Security

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Lumen Technologies Inc. ” Lumen told KrebsOnSecurity that it continued offering MAIL-FROM: authentication because many of its customers still relied on it due to legacy systems. Nevertheless, after receiving Korab’s report the company decided the wisest course of action was to disable MAIL-FROM: authentication altogether.

Internet 72

Internet Internet Authentication Telecommunications 72

The Last Watchdog

DECEMBER 18, 2024

To wrap up our 2024 year-end roundtable, we turn our attention to new technologies and trends that are emerging to help bridge the gaps. Simic Bojan Simic , CEO, HYPR The era of passwords will further decline as credential misuse rises, with AI both aiding and challenging security efforts.

Risk 173

Risk Threat Detection Technology Phishing 173

Krebs on Security

AUGUST 28, 2020

Email service provider Sendgrid is grappling with an unusually large number of customer accounts whose passwords have been cracked, sold to spammers, and abused for sending phishing and email malware attacks. “2FA has proven to be a powerful tool in securing communications channels. ”

Accountability 362

Accountability Hacking Authentication Marketing 362

Security Affairs

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Many companies may not know that while IAM is a critical security tool for dealing with third-party risk, it is also a technological boon that can help organizations scale, integrate with other systems, and overcome some of the challenges of digitization. So, what’s a bit of increased risk where usernames and passwords are concerned?

B2B 126

B2B Cybersecurity Risk Identity Theft 126

Daniel Miessler

MAY 14, 2020

Use unique, strong passwords, and store them in a password manager. Many people get hacked from having guessable or previously compromised passwords. Good passwords are long, random, and unique to each account, which means it’s impossible for a human to manage them on their own. Automatic Logins Using Lastpass.

Risk 345

Risk Passwords Password Management Accountability 345

SecureWorld News

JULY 8, 2024

Case in point: a colossal password compilation dubbed "RockYou2024" has emerged, containing nearly 10 billion unique passwords. The name "RockYou2024" pays homage to the infamous RockYou data breach of 2009, which exposed 32 million passwords due to insecure storage practices.

Passwords 127

Passwords Password Management Education Accountability 127

Schneier on Security

MAY 6, 2019

Enable two-factor authentication for all important accounts whenever possible. Don't reuse passwords for anything important -- ­and get a password manager to remember them all. Once that happens, the market will step in and provide companies with the technologies they can use to secure your data.

Identity Theft 279

Identity Theft Passwords Password Management Authentication 279

Duo's Security Blog

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

"Based on FIDO standards, passkeys are a replacement for passwords that provide faster, easier, and more secure sign-ins to websites and apps across a user’s devices. Unlike passwords, passkeys are always strong and phishing resistant. The FIDO Alliance asserts that passkeys are a replacement for passwords.

Passwords 132

Passwords Authentication Insurance Cyber Insurance 132

Krebs on Security

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

20, 2023 that identity and authentication giant Okta had suffered a breach in its customer support department, Okta said the intrusion allowed hackers to steal sensitive data from fewer than one percent of its 18,000+ customers. For this reason, they can’t be locked down with multifactor authentication the way user accounts can.

Authentication 291

Authentication Accountability Passwords Antivirus 291

Krebs on Security

MAY 12, 2022

On May 8, KrebsOnSecurity received a tip that hackers obtained a username and password for an authorized user of esp.usdoj.gov , which is the Law Enforcement Inquiry and Alerts (LEIA) system managed by the DEA.

Government 296

Government Authentication Passwords Mobile 296

Duo's Security Blog

JUNE 8, 2023

Some of it is positive, but the general consensus is that people don’t love multi-factor authentication (MFA); they see it as a necessary evil at best. Here at Duo, we’ve long been proponents of the idea that security and end user experience go hand in hand, and we work hard to develop the technologies that make that happen.

Authentication 144

Authentication VPN System Administration Engineering 144

Krebs on Security

AUGUST 30, 2022

Phishers are enjoying remarkable success using text messages to steal remote access credentials and one-time passcodes from employees at some of the world’s largest technology companies and customer support firms. Those who submitted credentials were then prompted to provide the one-time password needed for multi-factor authentication.

Mobile 338

Mobile Phishing Authentication Accountability 338

SecureWorld News

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

In the utility sector, we've embraced technology to make things more efficient, smarter, and more resilient. Strong authentication: Each device, no matter how small, should have strong, unique authentication measures to prevent unauthorized access. Even a simple sensor should be treated as a critical security asset.

IoT 107

IoT Firmware Encryption Authentication 107

SecureWorld News

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Thankfully, customers can still visit physical stores to purchase their favorite treats, but the incident reminds us of our operational reliance on interconnected technologies. Strong Password Management: Enforce strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication to protect against unauthorized access.

Password Management 109

Password Management Passwords CISO Cybersecurity 109