Effect of Low Literacy on Password Formation Strategy as Impediment to Participation in Modern Life: Evaluation and Intervention Tutorial

Abstract

Despite widespread acknowledgement that they are an imperfect compromise, text passwords remain the most common method of authenticating user access to digital resources. Responsible stewardship of those resources, both for the protection of the user/accountholder, and for the protection of the agencies charged with the resources’ guardianship, has dictated that secure passwords evolve to near or beyond the practical limit for humans to compose and remember them. This thesis examines the degree to which low literacy interacts with these password requirements to create a barrier to participation in commerce and government safety net services. A tutorial video intervention was evaluated for effectiveness in creating more secure, more memorable passwords.