Secure Access With Hidden Password Encryption

Abstract

Secure password storage is a crucial component of password-based authentication systems, which remain the most prevalent authentication method despite certain security vulnerabilities. This paper introduces a password authentication framework aimed at enhancing password security while seamlessly integrating into existing authentication systems. In this approach, the plaintext password received from a client is first processed using a cryptographic hash function such as SHA-256. The resulting hashed password is then transformed into a negative password, which is subsequently encrypted using a symmetric-key algorithm like AES, forming an Encrypted Negative Password (ENP). Additionally, multi-iteration encryption can be applied to further strengthen security. By leveraging cryptographic hashing and symmetric encryption, the ENP method significantly complicates password cracking attempts. Furthermore, multiple ENPs can correspond to a single plaintext password, rendering precomputation attacks such as lookup table and rainbow table attacks ineffective. Algorithm complexity analysis and comparative evaluations indicate that ENP provides strong protection against dictionary attacks. Notably, this scheme does not require additional security elements like salt while still mitigating precomputation threats. Most importantly, ENP is the first password security mechanism to integrate a cryptographic hash function, negative password transformation, and symmetric encryption without relying on external elements beyond the plaintext password. Compared to conventional password protection techniques, ENP offers superior security without imposing substantial computational overhead. Since it eliminates the need for extra components such as salting or key stretching, its implementation remains straightforward while ensuring robust defense against common cyber threats. Keywords: Secure Password Storage, Password Authentication, Cryptographic Hash Function, Negative Password, Encrypted Negative Password (ENP), Symmetric-Key Encryption, SHA-256, AES, Multi-Iteration Encryption, Precomputation Attack Mitigation, Lookup Table Attack Prevention, Rainbow Table Attack Defense, Dictionary Attack Protection, Brute-Force Resistance, Scalable Authentication Systems.