312-49 · Question #130
Which of the following passwords are sent over the wire (and wireless) network, or stored on some media as it is typed without any alteration?
The correct answer is A. Clear text passwords. Clear text (plaintext) passwords are transmitted or stored exactly as typed, with no transformation, encoding, encryption, or hashing applied. This makes them the most vulnerable type, as anyone intercepting the network traffic (via packet sniffing) or gaining access to the…
Question
Which of the following passwords are sent over the wire (and wireless) network, or stored on some media as it is typed without any alteration?
Options
- AClear text passwords
- BObfuscated passwords
- CHashed passwords
- DHex passwords
How the community answered
(36 responses)- A89% (32)
- B6% (2)
- C3% (1)
- D3% (1)
Explanation
Clear text (plaintext) passwords are transmitted or stored exactly as typed, with no transformation, encoding, encryption, or hashing applied. This makes them the most vulnerable type, as anyone intercepting the network traffic (via packet sniffing) or gaining access to the storage medium can read them directly. Obfuscated passwords are superficially disguised but not cryptographically protected. Hashed passwords are transformed through a one-way cryptographic function, making the original unreadable. Hex passwords are not a standard category - they may refer to passwords encoded in hexadecimal, which is a representation change, not a security measure. Protocols like Telnet, FTP, and basic HTTP transmit passwords in cleartext, which is why they are considered insecure.
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