There is a certain irony that passwords are commonly relied on as the first line of defense for protecting enterprise applications, data, and IT services, yet they are also broadly recognized as the weakest link in enterprise security.

Concerns about the effectiveness of password-based controls are not unwarranted. Hackers are increasingly inventing new and nefarious methods of cracking passwords, with cracking dictionaries, brute-force attacks, keystroke logging, and phishing schemes. Once cracked or exposed in data breaches, passwords are sold across the dark web to bad actors who will use them to penetrate corporate systems, customer accounts, etc.

With attack vectors around password exploitation rapidly increasing, it is no wonder 1 out of every 4 American citizens was considered to be a cybercrime victim in 2018.

It is a major challenge for companies to stay ahead of these bad actors and prevent them from accessing sensitive systems through weak or compromised passwords.

Read this paper from industry analyst group, EMA, to learn how organizations are ensuring responsible password protection for their employees, users and partners.