Password Security: An Empirical Investigation into E-Commerce Passwords and Their Crack Times

Abstract

Strong passwords are essential to the security of any e-commerce site as well as to individual users. Without them, hackers can penetrate a network and stop critical processes that assist consumers and keep companies operating. For most e-commerce sites, consumers have the responsibility of creating their own passwords and often do so without guidance from the web site or system administrator. One fact is well known about password creation—consumers do not create long or complicated passwords because they cannot remember them. Through an empirical analysis, this paper examines whether the passwords created by individuals on an e-commerce site use either positive or negative password practices. This paper also addresses the issue of crack times in relationship to password choices. The results of this study will show the actual password practices of current consumers, which could enforce the need for systems administrators to recommend secure password practices on e-commerce sites and in general.