Online password protection
Password: password
© Lead Image © Kian Hwi Lim, 123RF.com
Securely storing passwords online can be a complex task. With a few tools, websites can offer better security, but users still need to choose their passwords wisely.
When it comes to password security on social networking sites, such as LinkedIn or XING, users usually have to rely on the website's claims. Because these sites are closed source applications, users don't know for sure how their passwords are protected. Often, by the time they find out, it may be too late. In 2012, for example, LinkedIn lost an estimated 6.5 million encrypted passwords. There may have been more as the company did not provide exact figures, because in 2016 a hacker offered to sell 117 million LinkedIn users' customer data [1].
Of all the types of stored data, user passwords are a particularly attractive target. One reason for this is that many users reuse a password for more than one site. Once an attacker has cracked a user's password on one site, they can use it to exploit other sites as well. Another reason is that the passwords many people choose are just too simple.
While all social networks store personal data, open source solutions, such as my project vutuv [2], are usually more open with their security approaches (see the box "Open Source Infrastructure"). Read on for a behind the scenes look at how our site goes about securely storing passwords.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.