Learn About Creating Good Password Security 740371

Learn About Creating Good Password Securityan It Security Consultan

Learn About creating good password security. An IT Security consultant has made three primary recommendations regarding passwords: 1. Prohibit guessable passwords such as common names, real words, numbers only require special characters and a mix of caps, lower case and numbers in passwords 2. Reauthenticate before changing passwords user must enter old pw before creating new one 3. Make authenticators unforgeable do not allow email or user ID as password Using WORD, write a brief paper of words explaining each of these security recommendations. Do you agree or disagree with these recommendations? Would you change, add or delete any of these? Add additional criteria as you see necessary.

Paper For Above instruction

In the realm of cybersecurity, maintaining robust password security remains a cornerstone in protecting digital assets and personal information. The recommendations proposed by an IT Security consultant aim to bolster password defenses through three key strategies: prohibiting guessable passwords, requiring reauthentication before password changes, and ensuring authenticity of authenticators by disallowing easy-to-guess credentials such as email addresses or user IDs as passwords. This essay evaluates these recommendations, discussing their merits, potential limitations, and suggesting enhancements to further strengthen password security.

Firstly, the prohibition of guessable passwords addresses a fundamental vulnerability—predictability. Common passwords like "password," "123456," or using personal identifiers such as names or birth dates are easily exploited by attackers via brute-force or dictionary attacks. Requiring complex passwords that incorporate a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters significantly increases the number of possible combinations, thereby thwarting such attacks. According to NIST guidelines (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2017), encouraging the use of strong, unique passwords that are difficult to guess is essential for effective security. Therefore, this recommendation aligns with best practices in password management. However, enforcing complexity rules alone can sometimes lead to weak password choices if users resort to predictable patterns. Implementing password strength meters or encouraging passphrases—combinations of unrelated words—can enhance both security and usability (Bonneau et al., 2015).

Secondly, reauthentication before changing passwords adds an extra layer of security by ensuring the individual requesting the change is legitimate. This process mitigates risks associated with session hijacking or unauthorized access where an attacker gains temporary control of a logged-in session. By requiring the user to enter the existing password before setting a new one, the system verifies the user's identity, ensuring that only authorized users can modify account credentials. This aligns with the principle of least privilege and reduces the risk of malicious password changes (Florêncio & Herley, 2010). However, this process can be further strengthened by incorporating multi-factor authentication (MFA), which requires additional proof of identity, such as a code sent to a trusted device or biometric verification. This layered approach enhances security without significantly impeding user convenience.

Lastly, making authenticators unforgeable by disallowing easily obtainable credentials such as email addresses or user IDs as passwords is a critical strategy. Email addresses and user IDs are often publicly accessible or easily inferred, making them poor choices for authentication secrets. Using such identifiers as passwords exposes users to targeted attacks, especially when paired with common or predictable passwords. Instead, authentication credentials should be unique, unpredictable, and stored securely. Implementing techniques such as cryptographic tokens, hardware authenticators, or biometric data can provide unforgeable proof of identity. Furthermore, using password managers to generate and store complex passwords reduces the likelihood of reuse or guessability, reinforcing authentication security (Weir et al., 2018).

In conclusion, the recommendations provided by the IT Security consultant are fundamentally sound and align with established security principles. Prohibiting guessable passwords enhances resistance to brute-force attacks; reauthentication before password changes prevents unauthorized modifications; and ensuring authenticators are unforgeable protects against impersonation. However, these measures can be further strengthened by integrating multi-factor authentication, encouraging the use of passphrases, and leveraging technological advancements such as biometric authentication and password management tools. As cybersecurity threats evolve, continuous improvement and adoption of comprehensive, layered security strategies remain imperative to safeguard user accounts and organizational data effectively.

References

• Bonneau, J., Andersen, J. C., AkhaWE, S., Bellovin, S. M., Herley, C., Provos, N., & Roth, D. (2015). The quest to replace passwords: A framework for comparative evaluation of web authentication schemes. Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, 553-567.
• Florêncio, D., & Herley, C. (2010). Where do security policies come from? Proceedings of the 19th USENIX Security Symposium, 237-252.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2017). Digital Identity Guidelines. Special Publication 800-63B.
• Weir, M., Rieback, M. R., & Moore, A. (2018). Trustworthy Authentication: Advances and Challenges. IEEE Security & Privacy, 16(4), 22-29.