Drop User Names To Improve Security

As online K-12 assessments become increasingly popular, cyber security becomes a critical element of testing products. These tests are often high-stakes, and contain sensitive, personal student  information. A recent study by Dartmouth points to the popular use of usernames as a large security threat, as they can often be guessed by hackers. As THE Journal reports, “[f]iguring out somebody’s user name can lead cyber criminals to additional information about that individual online, which can help in figuring out what that user’s password is too. Once the personal information of one user in a system is breached, the hacker can make a “lateral move” to explore more of the target network and uncover additional accounts that can be compromised.”