Re:Major breach found in biometrics system used by banks, po...
by cwmoore on Wednesday August 14, 2019 @11:19AM
(#20696440)
So the way I read this, “sending” is an ambiguous statement that could be really ok, or really bad.
1. Sending in clear text over HTTPS from the login form to validate authorization: normal and OK, this simply is how auth works. Here the user sends the password, not the site, though it is via the frontend.
2. Writing/storing cleartext password on the server/in DB/as part of a logline, and (inevitably) revealing it later when reading said stored data for some other innocent purpose (server is sending the cleartext password which it should have no record of and has no legitimate use for).
Good hashes are by definition a one-way, irreversible means to authenticate without leaking actual credentials. Storing the actual passwords anywhere in the system is tempting fate.
1. Sending in clear text over HTTPS from the login form to validate authorization: normal and OK, this simply is how auth works. Here the user sends the password, not the site, though it is via the frontend.
2. Writing/storing cleartext password on the server/in DB/as part of a logline, and (inevitably) revealing it later when reading said stored data for some other innocent purpose (server is sending the cleartext password which it should have no record of and has no legitimate use for).
Good hashes are by definition a one-way, irreversible means to authenticate without leaking actual credentials. Storing the actual passwords anywhere in the system is tempting fate.