EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
Over the years we ’ ve observed shifts in how cybercriminals exploit password vulnerabilities . Initially dominated by brute force attacks , which rely on raw computing power to simply guess passwords , the landscape has shifted towards more sophisticated methods and attack vectors .
Today , anything with a password is a potential attack point , including Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices . IoT is an unfortunate example of issues that can arise when low profit high volume devices emerge in the market , meaning adequate care is not given to their security by such manufacturers .
We ’ ve already seen major steps forward in addressing these issues . One of the more interesting steps is a pioneering new legislation introduced this week by the UK parliament that cracks down on the myriad of cybersecurity issues caused by IoT devices .
This includes prohibiting the use of weak , easily guessable default passwords such as ‘ admin ’ or ‘ 12345 . However , it ’ s important to note that brute force attacks remain relevant due to advancements in technology .
The increase in GPU power has made these types of attacks more feasible , allowing cybercriminals to crack passwords faster than ever before .
This persistence , along with a rise in phishing attacks and credential stuffing , where attackers exploit poor password hygiene and use previously breached data to access new systems , highlight the need for robust password policies and advanced security measures in the future . p
TYLER MOFFITT , SR . SECURITY ANALYST ,
OPENTEXT CYBERSECURITY
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