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
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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
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
TfL forced to manually reset 30K passwords after cyber-attack – is there an easier way?
In early September 2024, Transport for London (TfL) found itself at the epicenter of a sophisticated cyber-attack. As the news broke, the scale of the breach became apparent, leading to operational disruptions and the need for an immediate, robust... Read More
NIST password guidelines: Full guide to NIST password compliance
Many look to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines as the gold standard when it comes to cybersecurity best practices. But as you’ve likely heard, NIST has updated its password guidelines in the latest draft of... Read More
[New research] Are VPN passwords secure? Two million malware-stolen passwords say no.
Today, the Specops research team is publishing new data on VPN passwords that have been stolen by malware. In total, our threat intelligence research team found 2,151,523 VPN passwords that have been compromised by malware over the past year.... Read More
[New research] Golf takes gold: Appears in over 40K breached Olympic sport passwords
Today, the Specops research team is publishing new data on end users choosing their sporting hobbies as passwords. Inspired by the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we’ve looked at breached passwords that contain sports from the global sporting event as... Read More