'Inconsistent and misleading' password meters could increase risk of cyber attacks

guest · Dec 23, 2019

'Inconsistent and misleading' password meters could increase risk of cyber attacks
December 19, 2019
https://techxplore.com/news/2019-12-inconsistent-password-meters-cyber.html

Password meters are frequently made available to help users secure their personal data against the threats posed by cyber criminals.

However, the 'inconsistent and misleading' advice offered on some of the world's most popular websites could actually be doing more harm than good, according to new research.
A study by the University of Plymouth assessed the effectiveness of 16 password meters that people are likely to use or encounter on a regular basis.

Published in Computer Fraud and Security, the research says there is a clear level of variation in the advice offered across the different websites.

Writing in the study's conclusion, Professor Furnell added: "Password meters themselves are not a bad idea, but you clearly need to be using or providing the right one. It is also worth remembering that, regardless of how the meters handled them, many systems and sites would still accept the weak passwords in practice and without having offered users any advice or feedback on how to make better choices.
[...] Credible password meters can have a valuable role to play but misleading meters work against the interest of security and can simply give further advantage to attackers."
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