Understanding Modern Password Security

In 2024, password security is both simpler and more complex than ever. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself and your users.

The Current Threat Landscape

Common attack vectors:

• Credential stuffing: Using leaked passwords on other sites
• Phishing: Tricking users into revealing credentials
• Brute force: Automated guessing attacks
• Rainbow tables: Pre-computed hash lookups
• Social engineering: Manipulating humans

Password Best Practices

For Users

Old Advice	New Advice
Complex passwords	Long passphrases
Change frequently	Change only if compromised
Remember them	Use a password manager
Security questions	Avoid or use fake answers

Creating Strong Passwords

The math is simple:

Entropy = log2(character_set ^ length)

"Password1!" (10 chars, 95 possibilities)
Entropy ≈ 66 bits
Time to crack: Hours

"correct horse battery staple" (28 chars, 27 possibilities)
Entropy ≈ 132 bits
Time to crack: Millennia

For Developers

Hashing Algorithms

Never store plaintext passwords. Use:

1. Argon2id: Current gold standard
2. bcrypt: Widely supported, battle-tested
3. scrypt: Good alternative

Avoid: MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 alone (too fast!)

Implementation Example

import argon2 from 'argon2';

// Hashing
async function hashPassword(password) {
  return await argon2.hash(password, {
    type: argon2.argon2id,
    memoryCost: 65536,
    timeCost: 3,
    parallelism: 4
  });
}

// Verification
async function verifyPassword(password, hash) {
  return await argon2.verify(hash, password);
}

Additional Security Measures

1. Rate limiting: Slow down brute force attacks
2. Account lockout: After N failed attempts
3. Breach detection: Check against known leaked passwords
4. MFA: Add a second factor

Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA types ranked by security:

1. Hardware keys (YubiKey): Strongest
2. Authenticator apps (TOTP): Strong
3. Push notifications: Good
4. SMS codes: Vulnerable to SIM swapping

The Future: Passkeys

Passkeys are replacing passwords:

• Phishing-resistant: Bound to specific domains
• No secrets to leak: Public key cryptography
• Cross-device: Synced securely
• User-friendly: Biometric authentication

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How do you handle password security? Share your approach!