How do passwords work?

A dive into digital security

Cristobal Reyes Grade 10

How many passwords do you know off the top of your head? Chances are you know the one for your Instagram account and the one for your email, maybe one or two more. But if you are like most people you have more than a couple of accounts. If you live in the United States the average is about 150 accounts, ranging from bank accounts, streaming services, online tools, and more. Like most people, you probably have 2 or 3 passwords and reuse them; I'm sure you heard this is bad or that reusing password is harmful or unsafe. But why? What makes a good password? How do passwords work anyways?

Let’s start from the beginning; what is a password anyways? Where did it originate from? How do they work? Passwords have been used throughout history, from Romans using watch “watchwords” as a way to identify spies, to bars using paper cards with code phrases during prohibition to sell alcohol illegally. Modern iterations of passwords as we know them today started in MIT in 1961 when Fernando Corbato, trying to decipher a way to give students time to use computers (at the time when they occupied entire rooms), created a system where each student had a password memorized. The computer had a list of usernames and passwords (with minimal security), and it just checked if the student and password equaled the ones given and gave them access to the computer. This was the beginning of the modern password, a series of characters or words that, paired with an identifier like a username or email, work as a way to verify an identity or access an account.

Sincethecreationof thefirstpassword in 1961, the concept has remained the same, but the mechanisms that make it possible have undergone significant changes. Passwords have progressed from simple strings of characters and words to more complex methods. As the internet grew more popular, the need for increased security and passwords adapted to this. One of the most important developments came in the way of encryption. Encryption was basically a method to mix up characters with a method, so say a password was TheBestPassword123 this passed through a series of mathematical methods that made it into something like 7ajdl(k3kd0kdif9. The problem with this is that if a potential attacker got hold of the specific mathematical equation it was as easy as reversing it and getting the password. This is why a system called hashing was developed; developers needed a way to store a password where even they didn't know what it was, so when a user creates a password, the password is encrypted as normal, but the password is never stored, so whenever the user logged in, the password just passed through this mathematical method and compared it to the one stored. And to make this even more secure, a “Salt” can be added that makes each hash random, so no hash is equal.

Passwordprotection isincrediblyimportantin today's computer-driven society. Passwords nowadays are the security methods for most accounts, including personal information like governmentservicesorhealthdata. Thesesecuritymethodsmakemost modernwebsitesextremely hard to breach, but there are still websites that have not updated to these protocols, and these websites, once attacked, can reveal your passwords to more private websites. This is why reusing passwords is potentially dangerous. Approximately 613 million individual passwords have been obtained this way globally. But most accounts are breached by the simple fact of using a simple or common password that has already been breached before. Believe it or not, the most common password globally is the literal word “password” being used in over five million accounts globally. So how can you make a strong unique password yourself to use in your accounts? The best option is to make a 12-letter-long password that is not made of words, contains lower and uppercase letters, and contains symbols and numbers; one example of this is: “th)jr-Ue-d24”. I know what you are thinking. How in the world can I memorize 150 of these weird passwords? And the honest answer is unless you are a memory wizard, your best bet is using password storage software. These programs securely store your passwordsand even doneat things like autocomplete them and create extremely secure ones (as the one seen above).

So, there you have it, a deep dive into the world of passwords! It's essential to understand how they work and how to keep our online accounts safe. Next time you log in to your accounts, think about the complex process happening behind the scenes to verify your identity. And remember, a password is like a lock on your digital door; the stronger it is, the harder it is for unwanted visitors to break in! Happy password-ing!