The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Password complexity: The level of difficulty in guessing or cracking a password based on its length, character types, and other factors. Used in password policies to increase security. Examples -requiring a minimum length of 8 characters, using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, and enforcing regular password changes.

Password cracking: The process of attempting to guess or decrypt a password that has been stored or transmitted, often by trying a series of possible passwords until the correct one is found. Various methods are used, including brute force attacks (trying all possible combinations), dictionary attacks (using common words or phrases), and rainbow table attacks (precomputed tables for reversing hash functions).

Password guessing: The method where an unauthorized entity tries to gain access to a system by guessing the password. This is usually done through brute force methods (trying all possible combinations) or, more commonly, by using lists of commonly used passwords. Password guessing can be mitigated by enforcing complexity requirements and limiting the number of failed attempts.

Password history: A security feature that remembers a certain number of a user's previous passwords to prevent them from reusing them. This can deter unauthorized access because it forces users to come up with new passwords regularly, making it more difficult for potential intruders to guess them.

Password management: The process of handling the creation, storage, and usage of passwords in a secure manner. This may involve the use of password management software to generate, store, and automatically fill in complex passwords. The goal is to create strong passwords and maintain good security practices without creating a cumbersome user experience.

Patch: A small piece of software designed to fix a specific problem or vulnerability in a system or application. Used to improve security and stability of computer systems. Examples -a security patch for a web browser to fix a known vulnerability, a patch for an operating system to fix a bug causing crashes, and a patch for a software program to add new features or improve performance.