Human and Social Aspects of Password Authentication
Deborah Sater Carstens · IGI Global eBooks · 2011
With the increasing daily reliance on electronic transactions, it is essential to have reliable security practices for individuals, businesses, and organizations to protect their information (Vu, Bhargav, & Proctor, 2003; Vu, Tai, Bhargav, Schultz, & Proctor, 2004). A paradigm shift is occurring as researchers are targeting social and human dimensions of information security, as this aspect is seen as an area where control can be exercised. Since computer security is largely dependent on the use of passwords to authenticate users of technology, the objectives of this chapter are to (a) provide a background on password authentication and information security, (b) provide a discussion on security techniques, human error in information security, human memory limitations, and password authentication in practice, and (c) provide a discussion on future and emerging trends in password authentication to include future research areas.