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cisco certification reviews.Since passwords are entered during the authentication process, they are transmitted over a network (e.g., via the Internet). Systems should be in place to ensure that passwords are protected during transmission. In general, implementing network isolation and enabling encrypted transmission mechanisms can improve the security of password transmission. For example, while HTTP can be used to access general websites, HTTPS or an equivalent secure protocol should be used to perform authentication.236 Chapter 5 Introduction to Security Operations Management3. Password ResetPassword management should include systems and techniques for resetting passwords in a secure manner. All of the previous discussion is meaningless if an attacker can easily reset passwords. Password resets will generally be performed by the customer service staff at the 1T service desk. There are certain large units with a large number of users, accounts, and systems where the management of password resets can be very cumbersome. Today, many units offer automatic password resets for their own employees and affiliates. For users to automatically reset their passwords, they generally have to perform additional authentication (for example, answering security questions) or with the help of a token. Of course, it is also possible to send a link to reset the password to the user's personal e-mail address.4. Password synchronizationFor system administrators working for large organizations, creating accounts for each user on multiple systems can be a cumbersome task. Regular employees also need to remember their usernames and passwords for the multiple systems they want to access, which in turn forces them to get into the bad habit of writing down their passwords on paper, and the IT helpdesk phone gets buzzed because employees forget their passwords. In addition, when passwords need to be changed (for example, when the maximum password usage period specified by the unit's password management system expires), users have to change their passwords for each system individually.With password synchronization technology, users only need to set their passwords once, and the management system then automatically pushes the passwords to all systems involved in the password synchronization process. This significantly reduces the cost of password management. However, the downside of this method of password management is that once a password is compromised, an attacker can access all systems to which the user in question has access. Units should assess this risk as part of their security risk management.An example of synchronizing passwords across all systems is shown in Figure 5-2. Users can change their passwords through the Password Synchronization Manager, and all systems involved in the password synchronization process will then update the user's password.Figure 5-2 Password Synchronization System5.2.3 Directory Management