Understanding and Improving User Adoption and Security Awareness in Password Checkup Services

Sanghak Oh, Heewon Baek, Jun Ho Huh, Taeyoung Kim, Woojin Jeon, Ian Oakley, Hyoungshick Kim

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Password checkup services (PCS) identify compromised, reused, or weak passwords, helping users secure at-risk accounts. However, adoption rates are low. We investigated factors influencing PCS use and password change challenges via an online survey (n=238). Key adoption factors were "perceived usefulness,""ease of use,"and "self efficacy."We also identified barriers to changing compromised passwords, including alert fatigue, low perceived urgency, and reliance on other security measures. We then designed interfaces mitigating these issues through clearer messaging and automation (e.g., simultaneous password changes and direct links to change pages). A user study (N=50) showed our designs significantly improved password change success rates, reaching 40% and 74% in runtime alert and PCS checkup reporting scenarios, respectively (compared to 16% and 60% with a baseline).

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9798400713941
DOIs
StatePublished - 26 Apr 2025
Event2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025 - Yokohama, Japan
Duration: 26 Apr 20251 May 2025

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityYokohama
Period26/04/251/05/25

Keywords

  • Password Change
  • Password Checkup Service
  • Password Manager

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