RELIABILITY OF AUTHENTICATION MECHANISMS IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: THE INFLUENCE OF THE HUMAN FACTOR

Abstract

The article examines the reliability of password authentication as one of the most common mechanisms for protecting information in modern information systems. Despite the active development of cybersecurity technologies, passwords remain the main means of user authentication, which makes it urgent to study the problems associated with their use. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the human factor on the level of account security, since a significant part of information security incidents arise precisely due to the use of weak passwords. The paper analyzes the principles of functioning of password authentication, in particular the concept of password complexity, the role of length and variety of characters, as well as the importance of hashing passwords when storing them in information systems. Typical user errors are separately considered, including the use of simple combinations of characters, personal information, identical passwords for different services, and the use of short passwords. Such approaches significantly reduce the level of protection of personal data and create favorable conditions for attacks. The practical part of the article is based on the results of an anonymous survey of students conducted to analyze real-world practices of using passwords and additional security measures. The survey investigated the prevalence of password reuse, the average length of password combinations, the use of special characters, users’ awareness of password hashing, and the use of two-step authentication and password managers. The results obtained allow us to conclude that users pay insufficient attention to information security issues, despite the availability of modern security tools. Based on the analysis, recommendations were formulated to improve the reliability of password protection, in particular, the use of unique complex passwords, password managers, and twostep (two-factor) authentication.