(Very) Insecure Online Sites Compromise Passwords for Rest of Web

Passwords cracked at weak sites may be used elsewhere

By Elizabeth Heichler ShareThis

A major study of security at password-protected Web sites revealed a lack of standards across the industry that harms end-users, according to Cambridge University researchers.

In particular, the weak implementations of password-based authentication at lower-security sites compromises the protections offered at higher-security sites because individuals often re-use passwords, Joseph Bonneau and Soren Preibusch asserted in a paper presented at the Workshop on the Economics of Information Security in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday.

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