- Explain to a non-technical friend how you would safely hash and store a password.
To safely hash and store a password, you would use a secure hashing algorithm like Bcrypt to convert the password into a fixed-length string of characters that cannot be reversed back to the original password, and then store that hashed password in a secure database.
- What is Bcrypt?
Bcrypt is a widely used hashing algorithm that is designed to be slow and computationally expensive, making it difficult for attackers to guess the original password even if they have access to the hashed version.
- Why might you use something like Bcrypt?
Bcrypt is used to securely store passwords because it adds an extra layer of protection by making it extremely difficult and time-consuming for attackers to crack the hashed passwords, even if they manage to get hold of the database.
- What is Basic Authentication?
Basic Authentication is a simple method of user authentication where the client sends the username and password in plain text as part of the HTTP request header.
- What properties are necessary in the header of a Basic Auth request?
The header of a Basic Auth request should include the "Authorization" property, which consists of the word "Basic" followed by a space and then the Base64 encoded string of the username and password.
- How are
username:passwordin Basic Auth encoded?
The
username:passwordin Basic Auth is encoded using Base64 encoding, which converts the username and password into a set of characters that can be safely transmitted over the network.
- Define the authentication process to a non-technical recruiter.
The authentication process is a way to verify the identity of a user before granting them access to a system or application, typically by requiring them to provide valid credentials such as a username and password.
- How should your error messaging respond (both HTTP and HTML)? Why?
Error messaging should respond with generic error messages, both in the HTTP response and HTML, to avoid providing potential attackers with specific information about the authentication process and potentially exposing vulnerabilities.
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