In the high-stakes world of healthcare, where every second counts and patient care is paramount, the temptation to share passwords can seem like a minor shortcut. Professionals in the healthcare industry can find themselves navigating a delicate balance between... Read More
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Incident response: Responding to credential-based cyber-attacks
Credential-based attacks are popular with hackers due to the ease of purchasing compromised passwords online. When credentials are compromised, the potential for significant damage is high, as attackers can gain access to sensitive data, manipulate systems, and move laterally... Read More
The power of love and breached passwords
When analyzing breached passwords from the Specops database, we often turn up some surprising trends and insights. For example, the unexpected prevalence of the word “love” in passwords and its significance across different languages and cultures. We’ll take a... Read More
AI arms race: How AI will be used by cyber-attackers (and defenders)
It’s no surprise that AI’s explosive growth in the last five years has also greatly expanded the need for sophistication and preparation from security threats. While artificial intelligence presents new challenges, machine learning and neural networks also expand security... Read More
[New research] Learn what 1 billion+ malware-stolen credentials mean for your 2025 security to-do list
The Specops research team have launched the 2025 Breached Password Report, which contains analysis of over 1 billion malware-stolen passwords. The launch of the report also coincides with the latest addition of over 210 million compromised passwords to the Specops Breached... Read More
The future of passwords: Emerging technologies and trends
While some experts keep predicting their demise, the reality is that passwords aren’t going anywhere soon — they remain at the heart of how we secure our digital world. New security tools are emerging, but they’re working alongside passwords, not replacing... Read More
Credential-based attacks: Key types, how they work, and defense strategies
Credential-based attacks remain a significant threat to organizations of all sizes. According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), lost or stolen credentials are the most common way for cybercriminals to gain initial access to systems. Google Cloud... Read More
How to build a PCI-compliant password policy
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of guidelines designed to protect cardholder data and ensure that organizations handling payment card information maintain a secure environment. Among its many requirements, PCI DSS places significant... Read More
Specops Software Introduces API for Specops Secure Service Desk to Authenticate End User Identity
New API opens up the ability for organizations to use the Specops Authentication platform to verify end users in ITSM tools like ServiceNow Today, Specops Software announced the release of a new API for its Secure Service Desk product.... Read More
[New research] How well does SHA256 protect against modern password cracking
The Specops research team have previously published data on how long it would take for hackers to brute force hashed user passwords. We set up hardware to test two different algorithms: MD5 hashed passwords and bcrypt hashed passwords. Now,... Read More