There’s no avoiding it, the headlines have not been kind to the ways we access systems today. Users are still using 1234, password, and even their dog's name. Not just using these weak passwords but also reusing them across multiple platforms, making it incredibly easy to breach someone once they’ve been caught up in a previous breach. On the vendor side, well we all know what’s happened there in the past 12 months, and now more than ever, password management platforms have growing targets on their back as high-value assets.

But we are not here to throw rocks in the glass house nor try to dissect what goes well or goes wrong in these situations; however, we should all focus on what we can take away from them and ensure they are not repeated. This concept aligns well with Zero Trust, where we should assume systems are already breached, that your users - be it intentionally to shitpost in a discord channel or accidentally fall for a phishing lure- and we should remove as much implicit, unchecked trust as possible. At least until Skynet takes us all out, but we have a few good years ahead. 

Jokes aside, we have a great episode for you and appreciate Bitwarden lending us two of their C-suite members who cover a range of topics, including how they navigate these challenges. This week we chat with Bitwarden’s CEO Michael Crandell and Chief Customer Officer Gary Orenstein. Bitwarden offers an integrated open-source password management solution for individuals, teams, and business organizations. It also offers a self-hosted solution, which appeals to those who want greater control over their secrets.

Key Takeaways

• The use of a Zero Knowledge architecture means that the company, whether cloud-hosted or self-hosted, should not be able to access sensitive information without the user's permission.
• Open-sourced solutions offer additional layers of trust as there are more eyes are on the product and can vet it for security
• Passwordless authentication is the future