Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What practice can help security teams defend against password cracking attempts?

1. Store passwords in memory

2. Ensure that applications neither store passwords to memory nor write them to disk

3. Write passwords in plain text

4. Notify users when they use weak passwords

The correct answer is: Ensure that applications neither store passwords to memory nor write them to disk

The practice of ensuring that applications neither store passwords to memory nor write them to disk is vital in defending against password cracking attempts. When passwords are stored in an insecure manner, either in memory or on disk, they become vulnerable to various types of attacks. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities by accessing memory while the application is running or by retrieving stored files. By not storing passwords in memory or writing them to disk, you minimize the chances of exposing sensitive information. This can significantly impede an attacker’s ability to capture passwords, as they will find no trace of them in these storage locations. Therefore, this practice directly increases the security of users' credentials against unauthorized access. In contrast, storing passwords in memory could lead to leaks through memory dumps. Writing passwords in plain text is explicitly insecure, as it allows easy access to anyone who can read that text. While notifying users when they use weak passwords is a good security practice, it does not inherently protect against cracking attempts as securely handling passwords does.