News

How to meet password requirements for PSN compliance

If you’re applying for a Public Services Network (PSN) compliance certificate, you will need to demonstrate your commitment to security and password protection. In this article we define these requirements and offer some valuable advice and solutions to help... Read More

NIST password standards

What is NIST guidance on password managers?

Today’s end-users are juggling many sets of credentials for accessing critical business resources. To prevent users from writing-down, reusing, or selecting weak but memorable passwords, businesses are turning to password managers. A password manager is an encrypted database used for storing, retrieving, and generating passwords. Enterprise password managers not only improve password security, but also simplify password management... Read More

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Specops Software Survey: 48% of Businesses Do not Use a User Verification Policy for Password Reset Calls to IT Service Desks

Specops Software survey highlights social engineering vulnerabilities among IT service help desks.  48% of organizations do not have a user verification policy in place for incoming calls to IT service desks, according to Specops Software, the leading provider of password management and authentication solutions. The information was uncovered as part of Specops Software’s survey of more than 200 IT leaders from the private and public sectors... Read More

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Introducing Dynamic Feedback at Password Change

Specops Software announced today the latest release of Specops Password Policy, 7.6, and the Specops Authentication Client, 7.15. This release introduces many new features, including dynamic feedback for end users at password change. With this release, users will now see feedback on the new passwords they choose at... Read More

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Specops partners with Duo Security to secure password resets

Partnership enables customers to improve security and eliminate barriers to end-user adoption. Specops Software announced that it is now a Duo Security Technology Partner. The technology partnership demonstrates a commitment to provide customers with solutions that can uplift security,... Read More

How to check if an AD account is locked out

The Account Lockout Policy in Active Directory Group Policy sets the number of failed sign-in attempts before a user account is locked out. Once the account is locked out, it cannot be used (even with the correct password) until... Read More

password entropy

All About Password Entropy

This article takes a look at the Password Entropy calculation in Specops Password Auditor. What is entropy? Entropy is a concept borrowed from information theory. In the password context, entropy can be summarized as: how many guesses would it... Read More