Which term describes traditional fixed credentials used for access?

Which term describes traditional fixed credentials used for access?

• A. Static passwords
• B. OTP
• C. Digital certificate
• D. MFA

Answer: (A)

Fixed credentials that people memorize and reuse, entered at every login, are described as static passwords. They remain the same until the user or administrator changes them, which makes them the traditional form of access secret rather than something that changes automatically. This is in contrast to dynamic options like one-time passwords, which are valid for a single session or a short window. A digital certificate, while also used for authentication, is not a password but a cryptographic credential issued within a PKI system. MFA refers to using multiple factors for authentication, not to a single, fixed secret. Static passwords capture the idea of a constant secret used for access.

Fixed credentials that people memorize and reuse, entered at every login, are described as static passwords. They remain the same until the user or administrator changes them, which makes them the traditional form of access secret rather than something that changes automatically. This is in contrast to dynamic options like one-time passwords, which are valid for a single session or a short window. A digital certificate, while also used for authentication, is not a password but a cryptographic credential issued within a PKI system. MFA refers to using multiple factors for authentication, not to a single, fixed secret. Static passwords capture the idea of a constant secret used for access.