Transparent password policies: A case study of investigating end-user situational awareness

Abstract

Transparent password policies are utilized by organizations in an effort to ease the end-user (e.g. customer) from the burden of configuring authentication settings while maintaining a high level of security. However, authentication transparency can challenge security and usability and can impact the awareness of the end-users with regards to the protection level that is realistically achieved. For authentication transparency to be effective, the triptych security -usability -situational awareness should be considered when designing relevant security solutions / products. Although various efforts have been made in the literature, the usability aspects of the password selection process are not well understood or addressed in the context of end-user situational awareness. This research work specifies three security and usability-related strategies that represent the organizations', the end users' and the attackers' objectives with regards to password construction. Understanding each actor's perspective can greatly assist in increasing situational awareness with regards to the authentication controls usage and effectiveness. Furthermore, a case study is presented to evaluate if, and in what way, transparent password policies, that isolate users' involvement can affect the perspective of the end-user with regards to the

Refining Password Policies within IBM's Sterling Integrator for Enhanced Managed File Transfer Security

“…By addressing the challenges associated with its implementation and user compliance, and proposing an adaptive security framework, this paper contributes to the ongoing dialogue on enhancing cybersecurity measures in complex digital environments. Future research should explore the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to further refine and automate the adaptive security framework, ensuring that Sterling Integrator remains at the cutting edge of secure B2B communications [7,8].…”