A History of Passwords: From Ancient Secrets to Modern Security Challenges

From the shapes and symbols of early hieroglyphs to the infamous codes of world wars, passwords have long been a popular method of encrypting data – and as time has passed, the methods involved have grown increasingly intricate. In the modern world, passwords are everywhere, required for everything from unlocking your phone to securing access to critical business systems. They are so ingrained in our digital lives that it’s easy to forget they’ve existed in some form for centuries – but the idea of locking away potentially valuable information actually dates back to the ancient world and beyond.

As technology has advanced, however, so have the techniques and tools held by nefarious cybercriminals, intent on cracking passwords with the sole aim of stealing data from unsuspecting sources. As a result, new forms of security have emerged – and changes are continuing to develop. To better understand the future, we looked to the past: read on to learn more about the history of passwords, and the changes that are taking place to build security before our very eyes.

Ancient origins: the first “passwords”

Despite its modern connotations, the concept of a password is far older than the computer age. In Ancient Rome, soldiers stationed at city gates and along the empire’s vast frontiers used watchwords – secret verbal cues – to distinguish allies from enemies. These were updated daily and passed along military lines in strict order, underlining how seriously even ancient civilisations took the security of sensitive information.

Elsewhere, passwords were a cornerstone of secret societies, religious sects, and diplomatic missions. Shared codes helped verify identity, grant access to confidential information, or signal intent. In medieval Europe, messengers might be sent with verbal tokens or coded scripts that could only be decrypted by the intended recipient using a matching cipher.

Even folklore has its version: “Open Sesame,” the magical command used by Ali Baba to enter the treasure cave, is essentially an early form of access control - simple but effective.

These early examples highlight that password use has always been about trust, verification, and access – ideas that remain central in modern cybersecurity.

The digital password is born

The birth of the digital password can be traced back to the 1960s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where early users of the Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) required a way to separate and protect their individual files. Each user was assigned a simple password — and so began the journey of digital credentialing.

As computing power spread into businesses and homes during the 1980s and 1990s, passwords quickly became ubiquitous. Logging into email accounts, financial platforms, workplace networks, and even games became routine. However, while passwords were widely adopted, their security was often overlooked.

Many systems allowed extremely simple passwords. There were no standards for length, complexity, or storage. In fact, some early systems stored passwords in plaintext — a practice that would be unthinkable today. This oversight laid the groundwork for a cybersecurity crisis in the making.

The rise of the cyber threat

As the internet evolved from novelty to necessity, cybercrime followed close behind. With users required to manage dozens of login credentials across different services, password fatigue set in - and bad habits took root: after all,  we are all only human. The same passwords were reused across multiple platforms, often with little variation. Passwords were stored insecurely, were weak and easy to guess and, overall,  were all too often an afterthought.

Cybercriminals quickly seized on this weakness, developing a range of tools and techniques to exploit human error:

By the 2010s, high-profile data breaches were making headlines globally. Yahoo, LinkedIn, Adobe, and countless others were compromised — in some cases, exposing hundreds of millions of usernames and passwords. One recurring theme stood out: users overwhelmingly relied on weak, predictable passwords. “123456,” “qwerty,” and “password” continued to top global lists, year after year.

The business impact of poor password practices

Weak password hygiene is no longer just a personal risk - it’s a significant threat to organisations of every size and sector. When employee credentials are compromised, the consequences can be catastrophic:

In short, treating password security as an afterthought is a costly mistake. Cybersecurity is a business imperative - not an IT afterthought.

Strengthening password security

In response to rising threats, businesses and technology providers began to evolve their approach to password management. Several measures were introduced, including:

While these measures offered improvements, they weren’t foolproof. Password fatigue persisted, complexity rules led to predictable patterns (like “Password123!”), and MFA adoption remained inconsistent. Ultimately, experts began to question whether the password itself was the problem.

The shift towards passwordless security

Recognising the limitations of traditional credentials, industry leaders such as Microsoft, Apple, and Google have been pushing for a passwordless future. These solutions aim to eliminate passwords entirely in favour of more secure, seamless methods:

Passwordless authentication aligns with the Zero Trust security model, where no user, device, or application is inherently trusted - even inside the network. Instead, every access attempt must be verified and validated.

The benefits are substantial: reduced risk of phishing, fewer support tickets for password resets, and improved user experience.

Final Thoughts

From secret phrases whispered between Roman sentries to complex logins protecting global enterprise data, passwords have always played a central role in security. But the digital world has outgrown them.

In an age where cyberattacks are relentless and data is currency, relying on passwords alone is no longer an option. The future lies in secure, user-friendly authentication solutions that protect both people and systems.

For businesses, the takeaway is clear: adapt, educate, and invest — or risk being left exposed.