Tag Archives: passwords

How worried should we be about the “AutoSpill” credential leak in Android password managers?

Enlarge / Close up of hand holding smartphone and screen applications with unlocking mobile phones. Concept of technological safety. Getty Images reader comments 42 By now, you’ve probably heard about a vulnerability named AutoSpill, which can leak credentials from any of the seven leading password managers for Android. The threat it poses is real, but… Read More »

Developers can’t seem to stop exposing credentials in publicly accessible code

Victor De Schwanberg/Science Photo Library via Getty Images reader comments 43 with Despite more than a decade of reminding, prodding, and downright nagging, a surprising number of developers still can’t bring themselves to keep their code free of credentials that provide the keys to their kingdoms to anyone who takes the time to look for… Read More »

WordPress plugin installed on 1 million+ sites logged plaintext passwords

Getty Images reader comments 19 with All-In-One Security, a WordPress security plugin installed on more than 1 million websites, has issued a security update after being caught three weeks ago logging plaintext passwords and storing them in a database accessible to website admins. The passwords were logged when users of a site using the plugin,… Read More »

Microsoft is scanning the inside of password-protected zip files for malware

reader comments 67 with Microsoft cloud services are scanning for malware by peeking inside users’ zip files, even when they’re protected by a password, several users reported on Mastodon on Monday. Compressing file contents into archived zip files has long been a tactic threat actors use to conceal malware spreading through email or downloads. Eventually,… Read More »

Passkeys may not be for you, but they are safe and easy—here’s why

Aurich Lawson | Getty Images reader comments 121 with My recent feature on passkeys attracted significant interest, and a number of the 1,100-plus comments raised questions about how the passkey system actually works and if it can be trusted. In response, I’ve put together this list of frequently asked questions to dispel a few myths… Read More »

Google passkeys are a no-brainer. You’ve turned them on, right?

Aurich Lawson | Getty Images reader comments 389 with By now, you’ve likely heard that passwordless Google accounts have finally arrived. The replacement for passwords is known as “passkeys.” There are many misconceptions about passkeys, both in terms of their usability and the security and privacy benefits they offer compared with current authentication methods. That’s… Read More »

Meet PassGAN, the supposedly “terrifying” AI password cracker that’s mostly hype

Aurich Lawson | Getty Images reader comments 21 with Share this story By now, you’ve probably heard about a new AI-based password cracker that can compromise your password in seconds by using artificial intelligence instead of more traditional methods. Some outlets have called it “terrifying,” “worrying,” “alarming,” and “savvy.” Other publications have fallen over themselves… Read More »

GoDaddy says a multi-year breach hijacked customer websites and accounts

reader comments 21 with Share this story GoDaddy said on Friday that its network suffered a multi-year security compromise that allowed unknown attackers to steal company source code, customer and employee login credentials, and install malware that redirected customer websites to malicious sites. GoDaddy is one of the world’s largest domain registrars, with nearly 21… Read More »

A fifth of passwords used by federal agency cracked in security audit

Getty Images reader comments 36 with 0 posters participating Share this story More than a fifth of the passwords protecting network accounts at the US Department of the Interior—including Password1234, Password1234!, and ChangeItN0w!—were weak enough to be cracked using standard methods, a recently published security audit of the agency found. The audit was performed by… Read More »

LastPass users: Your info and password vault data are now in hackers’ hands

Getty Images reader comments 255 with 0 posters participating Share this story LastPass, one of the leading password managers, said that hackers obtained a wealth of personal information belonging to its customers as well as encrypted and cryptographically hashed passwords and other data stored in customer vaults. The revelation, posted on Thursday, represents a dramatic… Read More »