Companies urged to move beyond passwords

Iria · Sep 14, 2005, 08:35 PM

Companies are "fiddling while Rome burns" by continuing to put their faith in passwords to guarantee user authentication, a Gartner analyst has warned.

Speaking at the Gartner IT Security Summit in London on Wednesday, Ant Allan said that "passwords are no longer adequate, as threats against them increase."

Those emerging threats are intimately linked to emerging technology such as Wi-Fi and Web services. As the usage of these services grows, more cybercriminals will attempt to exploit them. There is a business value in adopting new technology, but security needs to keep up, according to Gartner.

The increasing sophistication of attacks and the professionalism of cybercriminal gangs have led companies to make passwords longer, or to change them more frequently. "This is a bad idea," said Jay Heiser, a Gartner research vice president. "Users respond by forgetting passwords, or writing them down, which can compromise security in a different way."
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Read More / Source: News.com

Sep 14, 2005, 08:35 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 87	Companies urged to move beyond passwords Companies are "fiddling while Rome burns" by continuing to put their faith in passwords to guarantee user authentication, a Gartner analyst has warned. Speaking at the Gartner IT Security Summit in London on Wednesday, Ant Allan said that "passwords are no longer adequate, as threats against them increase." Those emerging threats are intimately linked to emerging technology such as Wi-Fi and Web services. As the usage of these services grows, more cybercriminals will attempt to exploit them. There is a business value in adopting new technology, but security needs to keep up, according to Gartner. The increasing sophistication of attacks and the professionalism of cybercriminal gangs have led companies to make passwords longer, or to change them more frequently. "This is a bad idea," said Jay Heiser, a Gartner research vice president. "Users respond by forgetting passwords, or writing them down, which can compromise security in a different way." __________ Read More / Source: News.com