Here’s Episode 2 of the Naked Security podcast.
We have two guests for you this week:
- We speak to Sophos security expert Matt Boddy about password guessing attacks – why do they still work in 2018, and what can we do about it?
- We interview top SophosLabs researcher Fraser Howard about HTTPS – is it really a security necessity that we should all embrace, or much ado about nothing?
LISTEN NOW
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Intro music: http://www.purple-planet.com
Closing music: https://thespacelords1.bandcamp.com
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Hi Duck. Might be useful to move the episode number nearer the start of the string, as if you’ve a pile of them queued on an iPhone Podcasts app, the title string gets truncated at “Naked Security Podcas…”, which isn’t that useful in identifying one episode from another. //M
What report are your referring to that claims password cracking is up 400%
Hmmm. I somewhat vaguely referred to a report “I got wind of”. (What happened is that I was contacted by a journalist who mentioned a report that wasn’t yet published from a conpany calledd [redacted] that would state this figure.)
I was intrigued not so much by the 4x figure but by whether a figure like this really was down to an increase, or merely a change in the amount of care and attention being given to measuring password attacks in the first place. I expected the report to be out by now – I formed the opinion it was due last Thursday – but if it is, I can’t find it. Perhaps it is coming out *this* Thursday, i.e. today?
Anyway, longstoryshort the 400% statistic made me wonder whether there really was a change in password guessing rates – and whether password guessing is still a credible way for crooks to hack you. (It is, but you can defend yourself rather easily.)
If the numbers ever do come out I will try to report the report…