While poor choices like ‘password’ or ‘123456’ featured among the top five stolen passwords identified in the Specops Breached Password Report 2025, we also found that almost a quarter of the stolen passwords analysed (230 million) had actually met standard complexity requirements. The device is inserted into a USB port and the system then cryptographically ‘challenges’ its key, ensuring they correspond before granting access. The concept is backed by some of the biggest names in global tech: it’s overseen by the FIDO Alliance, an open industry association whose members include Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and many other industry giants. With Specops Password Policy, users are prevented from creating weak passwords, while the technology also scans your Active Directory for breached or compromised instances, currently blocking a growing database of over 4 billion unique breached passwords. It’s clear that two-factor and multi-factor authentication (MFA) will be central to complementing password security in the coming years, with the long-term impact of technologies like U2F enhancing online safety well into the future. Passwords have long been the bedrock of online security, but the vulnerabilities are obvious, ranging from human error to phishing attacks. However, to gain access they must then pass through a second security step, typically through a U2F device which has been registered online to create a new ‘key pair’. So how can U2F help? As the name suggests, the concept relies on two factors to bolster security – typically a password and a physical device, similar to a key fob. Indeed, a survey from LastPass found that 59% of respondents used passwords across multiple accounts, even though the vast majority (91%) understood the risks involved. For as long as people use passwords, companies will need to protect their active directories, ensuring they are clear of compromised or weak passwords. It will always be vital to ensure your passwords are up to scratch – no matter how other technology evolves. Quite simply, you could lose the key: it might fall off your key chain, for instance, or become lost if it’s still left in your USB drive and you misplace your laptop or other device.
This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Wed, 07 May 2025 14:10:11 +0000