{"id":7315,"date":"2024-04-30T14:08:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T12:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esferize.com\/?p=7315"},"modified":"2024-05-07T12:37:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T10:37:29","slug":"history-and-evolution-of-passwords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esferize.com\/en\/history-and-evolution-of-passwords\/","title":{"rendered":"History and evolution of passwords"},"content":{"rendered":"

A password is a key that provides access to something that is inaccessible<\/strong> without it. A form of authentication that uses secret data to control access to a resource. Thanks to passwords we can protect all our personal information<\/strong> and data<\/strong> stored on computers, cell phones and online accounts.<\/p>\n

The use of passwords has been around since ancient times<\/strong>, from the early days of computing to the present day. In this post we tell you about the history and evolution of passwords and their use over the years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"History<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

History and evolution of passwords<\/h2>\n

Passwords have been used throughout history as a way to protect sensitive information or restrict access<\/strong> to certain places or resources. Next, we will discuss the history and evolution of passwords<\/strong> and how they emerged from ancient times to the digital form we know today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Antiquity<\/h3>\n

It is known that, since ancient times, in Ancient Greece<\/strong>, they used code words, drawings or sounds<\/strong> as ” holy and sign ” to enter places or to be recognized as part of the group. Also, the Romans<\/strong> used passwords to identify friends and allies<\/strong> in the dark<\/strong> to avoid surprise attacks, to transmit important military messages between troops or to replace someone else on guard duty.<\/p>\n

In past ages, many tribes and communities<\/strong> also used keys to identify trusted members.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

19th Century<\/h3>\n

During the industrial era<\/strong>, passwords were used to protect messages<\/<\/strong>strong> containing military and government information<\/strong>, or to restrict access to critical facilities.<\/p>\n

20th Century<\/h3>\n

With the advent of the first computers<\/strong>, passwords, which were <strong>simple<\/strong> and<\/strong> generally shared among several users<\/strong>, became a form of authentication in computer systems. No attention was paid to the security of passwords.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of the 20th century, movies popularized the use of passwords<\/strong> in science fiction films such as in “Mission Impossible” (1996), where Ethan Hunt accesses the CIA terminal with the password “AW96B6”.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Misi\u00f3n

At least they used a password with letters and numbers.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Decade of 1960s<\/h3>\n

In the 1960s, Fernando Corbat\u00f3<\/strong> created the first password-protected user accounts<\/strong> at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Each user could access his or her own files on consoles linked to the university’s main computer.<\/p>\n

The password was used to keep individual files private so that each user could access their contents at the times that corresponded to them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Decade of 1970s<\/h3>\n

In 1972, cryptographer Robert Morris<\/strong> invented the hash<\/strong>. Hashing is an encryption process that translates<\/strong> passwords into numbers.<\/p>\n

Following this, Morris collaborated with Ken Thompson to create a complementary process called salting<\/strong>. Salting adds random strings<\/strong> to passwords to make them harder to hack.<\/p>\n

Both processes are still in use today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ejemplo

Example of Hash function<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Decade of 1990s-2000s<\/h3>\n

With the growing threat of cyber attacks and online phishing, IT security has become a major concern. New techniques have been implemented such as longer passwords, two-factor<\/strong> and multi-factor authentication<\/strong>, use of password managers…<\/p>\n

Two-factor authentication<\/a> (2FA) is a very common system today. This system asks users to authenticate themselves<\/strong> through an additional system<\/strong> such as a temporary code in an SMS, an email or an authentication application.<\/p>\n

As a result, companies allowed employees to use their private cell phones at work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Digital era<\/h3>\n

Digital passwords have evolved to adapt to the growing security threats<\/strong> on the network, such as brute force attacks, phishing<\/a>, identity theft, etc. Given these risks, new and more secure forms of authentication<\/strong>, such as biometrics and multi-factor authentication, are increasingly being explored.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Key tips for securing passwords<\/h2>\n

A strong password is the main barrier that prevents most of your online accounts from being hacked, so we want to share some key tips<\/strong> to ensure that all your passwords are as secure and resistant<\/strong> as possible to cyber threats:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Avoid short passwords, try to keep them at least 10-12 characters<\/strong> long.<\/li>\n
  • Avoid<\/strong> predictable sequences<\/strong> of numbers and letters such as “1234” or “aabbcc”, also avoid common words such as “password”.<\/li>\n
  • Use combinations<\/strong> of lowercase, uppercase, symbols and numbers.<\/li>\n
  • Avoid obvious character substitutes<\/strong>, use the number “0” instead of the letter “O”.<\/li>\n
  • Use phrases that are meaningful to you<\/strong> and difficult for the computer to guess.<\/li>\n
  • Do not use passwords you already have on other accounts, create original<\/strong> passwords for each account.<\/li>\n
  • Do not share<\/strong> passwords through e-mail or messages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A password is a key that provides access to something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[225,228],"tags":[1685,1684,1683,235],"class_list":["post-7315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","category-security-on-the-internet","tag-evolution-password","tag-history-of-password","tag-passwords","tag-security"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHistory and evolution of passwords - Esferize<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the evolution of passwords throughout history and their use in different eras - learn how to create a secure password!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esferize.com\/en\/history-and-evolution-of-passwords\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"History and evolution of passwords - 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