Passwords act like the keys to your digital kingdom. They unlocked access to your devices, accounts, messaging, and online vaults containing personal information. When you create a password, the actual text you typed in isn’t stored on company servers. That would be unsafe if their systems were breached. Instead, your password gets run through a cryptographic hashing algorithm, which scrambles it into a unique string of seemingly random characters. This hash becomes the version stored. Even if hackers access the password database, all they see are these indecipherable hashes, not the real passwords. Brute forcing to reverse a strong password’s hash back into the original text is extremely difficult. When you log in, your entered password gets hashed again in real time and compared to the stored hash. If they match, access is granted. It verifies you without exposing passwords as plaintext.
Strength of salting
But what if multiple users have the same simple passwords like “Password123” that hash to identical values? This allows hackers to build “rainbow tables” linked to common hashes. To combat this weakness, security engineers add random “salt” strings to passwords before hashing. The salt varies per user. Now, even identical passwords will hash differently since each has a unique salt added. So your Password123 with salt a7sweJkj will not match another user’s Password123 with salt Ui8yNHj9.
Slow and steady hashing
Speed presents another potential vulnerability when hashing. If hackers quickly brute-force hash guesses to find matches, weak passwords become crackable. Key derivation functions combat this by intentionally hashing passwords slowly. They apply repeated rounds of transformation to greatly slow the process. This time-consuming hashing frustrates hackers since testing guesses becomes computationally infeasible. Your passwords remain secure against brute force attacks.
Length over complexity
But what makes a password strong enough to withstand attacks? Length proves more important than convoluted characters. Long passphrases using random dictionary words are harder to crack than short complex ones, simply due to the sheer possibilities. Ideally, use 15+ character passphrases with a mix of lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols. Avoid common phrases. Length compounds security exponentially.
Password managers to the rescue
Where do I store private notes? How do you remember unique passwords for dozens of sites? That’s where password managers like LastPass, 1Password, and Bitwarden come in handy. These securely store your passwords in an encrypted vault and simplify logins with auto-fill. You only need to remember one master passphrase to unlock the vault. Password managers also optionally generate long random passwords for each site. It provides strong protection without the memory burden. Just be sure your master passphrase is a lengthy sentence only you know. Enable two-factor authentication as well for added account security.
Protect the vault, protect the crown jewels
Like burying treasures deep underground in a maze of catacombs, and slowing transformations bury your passwords under layers of cryptographic complexity. This mathematically fortified vault keeps your credentials secured away from any thieves who come snooping. Consider using a password manager as your master keychain holding the keys to this vault. With unique passwords for every account, the vault remains protected even if infiltration occurs in one area. Your identity and data stay safely guarded from takeover. So, don’t be intimidated by the technical complexity underlying password security. Just remember lengthy passwords, a password manager, and avoidance of phishing/keylogging provide powerful protection for your digital assets and identity. With these simple precautions, your accounts, messaging, and private notes remain accessible only to you. Your password vault stays locked down tight.
