Swiss researchers have published a paper citing a weakness in Windows encryption allowing passwords to be revealed in an average of 13.6 seconds.
Most security experts recommend alphanumeric passwords for enhanced security. Despite even having following this precaution, users of Microsoft Windows are at risk due to the security designs of the operating system. Alternatives such as Unix, Linux/GNU, and Macs have utilized a well-known component dubbed “salt†as their password hashes for years – these containing up to 4,096 values. Windows does not, instead relying on aging 7-bit LANMan and more recent NTHASHmaking hashes – making a brute force attack’s look-up time less of a chore.
Read more at Beta News.
