Topic 41

Use of password protection to prevent unauthorized access by Andrew

Password protection and privacy protection

First off, a password is a form of secret authentication data to allow access to a resource. Passwords are kept secret from people who are not allowed access. People who want to access the resource are tested if they know the password or not and are granted access accordingly.

How did this technology emerge?

In ancient times, passwords were used to only allow people who knew the password in to a certain location. Guardsmen would stand outside the entrance to the place and ask for the password and that would allow the person access if he knew the password or not allow him access. Nowadays, passwords are used to protect personal information or a resource of information. Passwords are frequently used to access emails, databases, or even certain files.

Who are the stakeholders?

What are the advantages and disadvantages for those stake holders?
The stakeholders are the people who know the password to the information they are protecting. The advantages for the stakeholders are that they can protect the information they do not want released to anybody else. There seem to be no disadvantages to the stakeholders of password users other than just remembering the password and typing it in to access the information they seek.

Despite the name of the passwords it is not necessarily just a single word or it might not be a word at all. Passwords are made to be personal and so that no one else could know what it is unless you told them. ATM’s instead of using a password use a passcode called a PIN number which is a four digit number that protects the credit card users credit inside the credit. Passwords are generally short enough to be memorized. Passwords also can contain letters as well as numbers making it even harder to get through.

Information with passwords are generally thought of having more value and people would attempt to get through the password to gain access to the information that is being protected by the password.

Once a password is placed, it is thankfully replaceable by the user. A user might want to change his or her password because the user might think or know that his or her password has been found out and wants to change the password on a precautionary measure. Some systems of computers forces users to change their password frequently in order to make a password that has been found out by an unwanted person unusable.