Posts tagged with "Security"
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Beyond Passwords
•7 min read
In a previous post, I went over how to store passwords safely, and in another I looked at magic links as a way to avoid passwords altogether. Both had the same underlying problem. Passwords are a weak way to prove who you are. Yet we still use them almost everywhere...
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Five Worlds of Computational Complexity
•7 min read
There is a famous open-ended question in computer science called P vs NP. In simple terms, it asks whether every problem that can be checked quickly can also be solved quickly. Most people believe the answer is no but nobody has been able to prove it. In 1995, a computer scientist called Russell Impagliazzo came up with a nice way of thinking about what the answer would mean for ...
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Secret Magic Links
•2 min read
Magic links are interesting. The idea is that it's a completely password-less authentication system where you don't need to remember passwords at all. The way it works is that a unique link is sent to the user's email once they enter their email or username to log in. The user then receives an email with a special link that verifies their identity before granting them access to their account witho...
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Storing Passwords Securely
•4 min read
Most websites nowadays require an account to be registered before you can use their services. That means you need to provide at least an email, a password and potentially other personal information with it. I'm self-conscious about registering my details on too many websites because you can never be too sure if the data will be kept safe and secure. Trust is important because the expectation is th...