New API opens up the ability for organizations to use the Specops Authentication platform to verify end users in ITSM tools like ServiceNow Today, Specops Software announced the release of a new API for its Secure Service Desk product.... Read More
News and Research
[New research] How well does SHA256 protect against modern password cracking
The Specops research team have previously published data on how long it would take for hackers to brute force hashed user passwords. We set up hardware to test two different algorithms: MD5 hashed passwords and bcrypt hashed passwords. Now,... Read More
TfL forced to manually reset 30K passwords after cyber-attack – is there an easier way?
In early September 2024, Transport for London (TfL) found itself at the epicenter of a sophisticated cyber-attack. As the news broke, the scale of the breach became apparent, leading to operational disruptions and the need for an immediate, robust... Read More
NIST password guidelines: Full guide to NIST password compliance
Many look to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines as the gold standard when it comes to cybersecurity best practices. But as you’ve likely heard, NIST has updated its password guidelines in the latest draft of... Read More
[New research] Are VPN passwords secure? Two million malware-stolen passwords say no.
Today, the Specops research team is publishing new data on VPN passwords that have been stolen by malware. In total, our threat intelligence research team found 2,151,523 VPN passwords that have been compromised by malware over the past year.... Read More
[New research] Golf takes gold: Appears in over 40K breached Olympic sport passwords
Today, the Specops research team is publishing new data on end users choosing their sporting hobbies as passwords. Inspired by the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we’ve looked at breached passwords that contain sports from the global sporting event as... Read More
Specops Authentication: What We Added in H1 2024
New ID Services (Passkeys, Entra ID), Securing First Day Passwords, & More Specops Authentication is our platform that secures self-service key recovery and password resets, changes and account unlocks with multi-factor authentication (MFA), via self-service and/or at the IT... Read More
Rockyou2024 analysis: Mega password list or just noise?
Back in June 2021, a large data dump called ‘rockyou2021’ was posted on a popular hacking forum. It was named after the popular password list used in brute-force attacks called ‘Rockyou.txt’ – and it was a pretty big story... Read More
Average organization saved $65K in 2023 with self-service password resets
Resetting passwords is a time and resource sink for IT helpdesks – Gartner found 40% of all help desk calls to the service desk are related to password expirations, changes, and resets. However, resets are also a part of... Read More
NIS2, passwords, and MFA: Everything you need to know
MFA and password security are key considerations in several regulatory frameworks, and NIS2 is no different. The NIS2 Directive is an important piece of legislation for anyone working in cybersecurity across the European Union. The latest updates to the... Read More