This lesson introduces passwords as a way to confirm identity and traces their use from ancient watchwords to computer logins.
A password is secret data, usually a sequence of characters, used to help confirm a user's identity. A password does not have to be an actual dictionary word. In fact, a non-word may be harder to guess.
In the terminology used by the NIST Digital Identity Guidelines, the person who holds and presents the secret is the claimant. The party checking the claimant's identity is the verifier. If the claimant successfully demonstrates knowledge of the password through an established authentication protocol, the verifier can infer the claimant's identity.
All flashcards
What is a password?
A password is secret data, usually a sequence of characters, used to help confirm a user's identity.
Who are the claimant and verifier?
The claimant holds and presents the secret. The verifier checks the claimant's evidence and uses it to decide whether to accept the claimed identity.
How does a PIN differ from a general password?
A PIN is a password-like secret whose permitted characters are restricted to numbers.
What is a passphrase?
A passphrase is a memorized secret made from a sequence of words or other text. It is generally longer than a typical password.
What was CTSS's historical significance?
The Compatible Time-Sharing System, introduced at MIT in 1961, was the first computer system to implement password login.
Quiz questions
What distinguishes offline password guessing from online password guessing?Answer: Offline guesses are tested against stolen password data, without submitting them to the live service.
What is one purpose of adding a salt before hashing a password?Answer: It helps make identical passwords produce different stored hashes.
What does TLS protect when a browser communicates with a web server?Answer: It encrypts communication between the browser and the server.
What does multifactor authentication combine?Answer: Evidence from at least two different authentication-factor categories.
How does a dictionary attack typically differ from brute force?Answer: It prioritizes likely words, common passwords, and predictable variations.
Based on the Wikipedia article Password, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.