Episode 156: Secure Password Management (Domain 4)

Certified: The CompTIA Security+ Audio Course

Passwords continue to serve as a primary access method for many systems, and in this episode, we examine what secure password management really looks like—from user behavior to backend storage. We begin with best practices for password creation: encouraging long, complex passphrases instead of short, hard-to-remember strings, and enforcing limits on reuse, age, and failed attempts. We then cover the backend—discussing how to store credentials securely using salted hashing algorithms like bcrypt, PBKDF2, or scrypt to resist brute-force attacks. We also emphasize the value of password managers for both end users and enterprises, which reduce cognitive load while increasing complexity and uniqueness. Lastly, we explore alternatives such as passwordless authentication and adaptive access policies, which are growing in popularity as ways to reduce dependency on a flawed system. Passwords may be fading, but managing them securely remains critical.