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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Check proposed passwords where they are created or changed, before they are stored, and compare the entire password with an approved blocklist. Keep the password and any full hash inside the organization; if you use Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), send only the first five hexadecimal characters of a supported hash and compare the returned suffixes locally. A retrospective audit of existing accounts is different: the right method depends on the identity system and authorized access, and NIST does not prescribe a universal workforce-audit procedure.
Start with the audit boundary
Before checking any credentials, define which identity systems are in scope, who is authorized to run the audit, what data they may access, and whether policy permits an external lookup. Use an approved security process designed for the specific platform; do not try to retrieve plaintext passwords, export password databases, or bypass access controls.
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A properly designed verifier stores salted password hashes using a suitable password-hashing scheme, not readable passwords. That protects credentials, but it also means an administrator generally cannot simply view an employee’s current password to check it. NIST’s guidance describes verifier protections and blocklist checks for password establishment and change; it does not require or specify one retrospective employee-audit method. The platform’s design, permitted access, hash scheme, and organizational rules determine what can be done safely. NIST SP 800-63B
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Choose where matching happens
Use a local corpus when policy does not allow an external query. If an external service is approved, HIBP’s Pwned Passwords range lookup is designed to limit what is sent. Neither approach eliminates the need to review implementation and data handling.
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| Approach | What leaves your environment | Where the match happens | Key operational consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offline corpus | No lookup prefix, if implemented locally | Locally, against the approved corpus | Assess the corpus’s provenance and update process, and review the implementation. |
| HIBP range lookup | The first five hexadecimal characters of a SHA-1 or NTLM hash | Locally, by comparing the candidate’s remaining hash characters with returned suffixes | Requires approval for the partial-hash query, correct hashing and local suffix comparison, and HIBP API availability. |
HIBP does not receive the password or its complete hash through this range method, but it does receive a partial hash prefix. Treat that as a data flow leaving your environment, not as zero disclosure. Follow HIBP’s Scalar API reference and API documentation for the range request details. If policy rules out sending a prefix, keep the lookup local.
Design the check around password creation or change
- Approve the check and data flow. Confirm the authorized owners, systems in scope, permitted corpus or service, and handling rules before implementation.
- Check the candidate locally. At password creation or change, compare the complete proposed password with the approved blocklist before accepting it. For HIBP range lookup, compute the supported hash locally, send only its first five hexadecimal characters, and compare the returned suffixes locally. Never send the plaintext password or complete hash.
- Reject a match with useful guidance. Tell the employee why the proposed password was rejected and ask them to choose another. Provide guidance that helps them select a strong replacement rather than exposing the matched value in an error message or support ticket.
- Minimize what the audit retains. Limit access to results and avoid logs, reports, or messages containing candidate plaintexts. Keep only the information needed for authorized follow-up.
For a retrospective check, first establish whether the identity platform supports an authorized design that can make the comparison without exposing passwords. Do not assume that access to verifier data makes such a check safe or technically possible. If the platform cannot support it under approved controls, focus the blocklist check on future password changes and use other approved controls to investigate specific evidence of compromise.
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Build a focused blocklist and compare the whole password
NIST says verifiers must compare a proposed password against known commonly used, expected, or compromised passwords. Its examples include passwords from breach corpuses, dictionary words, and terms specific to the service or username, including derivatives. The comparison is against the entire candidate password, not substrings: a long passphrase should not be rejected merely because it contains a common word. NIST SP 800-63B
Keep the list proportionate to likely guessing risks. NIST cautions that excessively large lists add little security benefit against online attacks, which are already constrained by throttling, and can frustrate users. Decide who maintains a local corpus and how it is refreshed; do not treat a larger list as automatically better.
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Handle findings according to what they show
A common-password match
A match indicates that the password is guessable or expected; by itself, it does not prove that the employee’s account has been compromised. Restrict the result to people who need it, contact the employee privately, and ask for a change through the organization’s normal process.
Evidence that a password was compromised
When there is evidence of compromise, require a password change and review affected access as warranted by the evidence and your incident procedures. NIST says verifiers should not require arbitrary periodic password changes, but should force a change when there is evidence the authenticator was compromised. NIST SP 800-63B
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Help employees choose and manage replacements
Allow password managers and autofill, and support employees in using a password generator and storing unique passwords securely. NIST notes that password managers have been shown to increase the likelihood that subscribers choose stronger passwords, particularly when managers include generators. NIST SP 800-63B, password authenticator guidance
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