Exp19 Word Ch04 Homework Assessment Security Instructions

CLEANED: Exp19 Word Ch04 Hoeassessment Security Instructions

The assignment requires reviewing and editing a provided Word document on password security, implementing specific formatting and editing tasks, including applying track changes, accepting/rejecting edits, adding citations, creating a table of contents, index, and bibliography, and formatting references in APA style. The final document must include an APA-style bibliography, cover page, table of contents, index, footer with page numbers, and properly formatted text, with changes tracked and comments addressed.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

In the digital age, passwords serve as the primary barrier protecting personal and organizational data from unauthorized access. Despite the availability of more sophisticated authentication methods, passwords remain prevalent due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. However, poor password practices and vulnerabilities have resulted in numerous security breaches, emphasizing the importance of understanding effective password security strategies.

Introduction

The security and privacy of electronically stored data hinge significantly on robust access control mechanisms. While multifactor authentication (MFA) and biometric verification are emerging as more secure options, passwords continue to be the most commonly employed method. This paper examines common pitfalls in password security, their consequences, and best practices for enhancing password safety, supported by current research and expert opinions.

Common Poor Password Practices and Their Consequences

Choosing weak or predictable passwords poses substantial risks. Many users opt for simple, memorable passwords such as 123456, password, or letmein, which are well known and frequently appear in breach data. According to Storm (2016), these passwords are among the most common over the past five years, making them easy targets for attackers using dictionary attacks, brute force methods, or rainbow tables. Rainbow tables are precomputed tables that accelerate password cracking by matching hashes against known password hashes (Viega & McGregor, 2002).

Reusing passwords across multiple accounts exacerbates vulnerabilities. If one account is compromised, attackers can leverage reused passwords to access others, leading to identity theft or financial loss. This practice is risky because many websites store passwords insecurely or have experienced breaches, resulting in leaked password databases that criminals exploit (Garfinkel, 2018).

Automated tools used by hackers can crack passwords with relative ease. Passwords shorter than eight characters, especially those lacking complexity, are vulnerable to quick cracking using tools that deploy dictionary attacks and rainbow tables (Bonneau et al., 2012). Conversely, strong passwords—long, randomly generated, including upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols—are more resistant to attack (Florêncio & Herley, 2007).

Best Practices for Password Security

To mitigate risks, users should adopt strong, unique passwords for each account. Passwords should be at least twelve characters long, incorporating random combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, and symbols. For example, a strong password might be "G!t3@9kLp&z2".

Creating passphrases—favorable phrases with modifications—is an effective strategy. As Schneier (2014) suggests, using a sentence like "I love to learn about cybersecurity!" can be obfuscated into a complex password such as "1L0v3t0L3@rn#b0utCyb3rSecurity!", which is both memorable and robust.

It's essential to avoid reusing passwords. Each account should have a unique password to prevent entire systems from being compromised if one password is leaked. Managing numerous complex passwords is challenging without assistance; hence, reputable password managers are recommended. These tools securely store encrypted passwords and facilitate easy access across devices (Florêncio & Herley, 2007). Online password managers offer convenience but are vulnerable to hacking, while offline password managers store data locally, reducing certain risks but may require manual synchronization (Bonneau et al., 2012).

Users should also secure their master password—used to access password managers—with utmost care. Using passphrases or combining random words helps create resilient master passwords. Additionally, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a critical layer of security, making it harder for attackers to breach accounts even if passwords are compromised (Garfinkel, 2018).

Additional Challenges and Recommendations

Despite best efforts, passwords can still be compromised through phishing attacks, where attackers impersonate legitimate services to steal login credentials. Sophisticated social engineering techniques exploit user trust and online social profiles to find answers to security questions (Hadnagy, 2018). To counteract this, users should create fictitious security answers stored securely in password managers, making it harder for attackers to succeed.

Another challenge involves password reset procedures, which are often weak points for attackers. Many systems rely on security questions with known or easily guessed answers. Best practices include selecting random, unrelated answers stored securely or using MFA to authenticate password resets (Garfinkel, 2018).

In conclusion, improving password security involves a combination of creating strong, unique passwords, using password management tools, enabling multi-factor authentication, and remaining vigilant against phishing and social engineering attacks. Regularly reviewing security practices and updating passwords are essential for maintaining a secure digital environment.

References

• Bonneau, J., Herley, C., Van Oorschot, P. C., & Stajano, F. (2012). The quest to replace passwords: A framework for comparative evaluation of Web authentication schemes. IEEE Security & Privacy, 10(2), 80-87.
• Florêncio, D., & Herley, C. (2007). A profitless story: Usability and security gold rush. Proceedings of The 14th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, 294–303.
• Garfinkel, S. (2018). Database nation: The death of privacy in the 21st century. O'Reilly Media.
• Hadnagy, C. (2018). Social engineering: The science of human hacking. Wiley.
• Schneier, B. (2014). Choosing secure passwords. Schneier on Security. https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2014/03/choosing_secure_pass.html
• Storm, D. (2016, January 20). Worst, most common passwords for the last 5 years. ComputerWorld.
• Viega, J., & McGregor, G. (2002). RainbowCrack: Rainbow Tables for Stealing Passwords. RSA Conference Proceedings.