Is there a way to store passwords in plaintext?
A programmer can attempt to remedy the password management problem by obscuring the password with an encoding function, such as base 64 encoding, but this effort does not adequately protect the password. Storing a plaintext password in a configuration file allows anyone who can read the file access to the password-protected resource.
Why are passwords stored in plain text on a computer?
Instead of using “Password” for your password, you might type “Password123” (please never use either of these passwords). Salting is a similar concept: before the system hashes your password, it adds extra text to it. So even if a hacker breaks into a database and steals user data, it will be that much harder to ascertain what the real password is.
What do you put at the end of a password?
Think of it like adding numbers and letters to the end of your regular password. Instead of using “Password” for your password, you might type “Password123” (please never use either of these passwords). Salting is a similar concept: before the system hashes your password, it adds extra text to it.
Why are passwords salted before they are hashed?
Salting is a similar concept: before the system hashes your password, it adds extra text to it. So even if a hacker breaks into a database and steals user data, it will be that much harder to ascertain what the real password is. The hacker won’t know which part is salt, and which part is password.
Why are passwords stored in a configuration file?
Storing a plaintext password in a configuration file allows anyone who can read the file access to the password-protected resource. Developers sometimes believe that they cannot defend the application from someone who has access to the configuration, but this attitude makes an attacker’s job easier.
Is it true that Google keeps passwords in plain text?
Cat Ferguson scratches Google kept some users’ passwords in plain text: Administrators of some of Google’s five million business accounts got an unwelcome surprise when the company recently notified them it had stored some user passwords in plain text since 2005. …