Password Creation Strategies Across High- and Low-Literacy Web Users

摘要

Research has shown that password security practices typically conflict with general usability principles. Though the challenges faced by low-literacy users when creating and managing passwords are likely to extend beyond those experienced by the general public, little research has been done to explore password usability in this at-risk group. This survey of 20 low-literacy participants aims to examine password behaviors within this population, including password creation, recall strategies, and perceptions of password strength and security. It expands on the work of Chisnell and Newby (2015) based on a nationwide survey exploring password use, password creation strategies, and perceptions regarding password security. Thus, this study allows for comparison between password use and perceptions among the broader population and those of users with low literacy skills. These results provide important insights into patterns of use and mental models of password requirements and password security among low-literacy users.