Development of a Model for Determining the Impact of Password Authentication Practices on Information Security

Abstract

This research focuses on the development of a model for evaluating the human impact that password authentication issues are having on the security of information systems. Through observational analysis, organizational policy, and retrospective analysis, researchers created a model for predicting the vulnerability that a particular set of conditions will have on the likelihood of error in an information system. The methodology for the experiment and analysis of the results are presented. The findings indicate that human error associated with password authentication can be significantly reduced through the use of passwords which are comprised of meaningful data for the user and which meet the information technology community requirement for strength of password. The details of this study are provided as well as the human factors implications in information security.