A survey study of password setting and reuse

Abstract

Password security is strongly tied to a user’s password setting and reuse. The purpose of this thesis research is to explore the current status of users’ password usage, and to explore possible resolutions to enhance password security based on users’ password behaviors. A survey was conducted to provide data for this research. There are 10 questions included in the survey, which covers the topics of password setting behaviors, password fatigue, and password reuse. We collected 175 answers in total from all participants and selected valid answers and analyzed them. Based on the results, we can see that the current users’ password behaviors are not optimistic because of the negative influence of password fatigue and a lack of knowledge about the secure password management strategies. This thesis suggests people should acquire more knowledge related to password security, or even information security, during school education. And the service providers and developers should take the responsibility of protecting users’ passwords not only by enhancing the security structure of their products, but also by providing users more advice and instructions about the feasible ways to increase password security.