Digital Passwords

A digital password is a sequence of random characters used to limit access to a digital device and/or software by requiring a user to show authorization via the secret password. Oral passwords predate electronic technology and were used by the ancient Romans. The first digital passwords of the modern era came from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the mid-1960s with the creation of their compatible time-sharing system computer. The proliferation of digital devices and systems using passwords has led to increases in fraud and theft through password phishing and hacking. In response, government and private industry have worked to create digital password solutions to circumvent hackers and prevent them from invading users’ privacy or conducting data surveillance, while easing the pressure on ...