Hashed Credential Verification Against Common Weak Passwords
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Solution Overview
Problem
Credentials, such as passwords, can be easily identified through brute-force attempts using commonly used credentials, even when they comply with security guidelines, allowing malevolent actors to gain unintended access to services and devices.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that determine whether a hashed credential matches a commonly used credential by applying a hash function to the credential and comparing it with hashed versions of known credentials, allowing for reporting or blocking operations to prevent unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users create credentials that are easy to remember (such as names or phrases), then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened because these credentials can be easily guessed or identified through brute force attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary hashing of credentials against a database of commonly used credentials before allowing access. This advance checking prevents weak credentials from being used, resolving the contradiction by maintaining security requirements while allowing users to choose memorable passwords without compromising safety.
2Reliability
If security guidelines are enforced to require minimum length and specific characters, then security is improved, but ease of operation is worsened because users must create more complex credentials that are harder to remember
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses hashed copies of commonly used credentials to create a comparison database. This allows the system to check credential strength without requiring users to manually create complex passwords, as the hashing process automatically evaluates whether the credential matches known weak patterns while maintaining security requirements.
3Ease of operation
If the system stores plain text credentials for verification, then ease of operation is improved for verification purposes, but security is worsened because plain text credentials can be directly accessed and compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces hashing as an intermediary process between credential storage and verification. Credentials are hashed before storage, and the same hashing process is applied during verification to compare against the stored hash. This intermediary transformation maintains verification functionality while protecting the actual credential values from exposure.
Data Source
AI summary
According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium on which is stored machine readable instructions that may cause the processor to access a hashed credential associated with a user or a device, access hashed versions of a plurality of commonly used credentials, determine whether the hashed credential matches a hashed version of a commonly used credential of the plurality of commonly used credentials, and based on a determination that the hashed credential matches a hashed version of a commonly used credential, perform at least one of a reporting or a blocking operation.