Expert Password Management

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Presented at passwords 2015 by

Experts are often asked for advice about password management, but how do experts manage their own passwords? Is their behaviour different from that of non-experts? We conducted a series of interviews with researchers and practitioners in computer security, asking them about their password management behaviour. We used thematic analysis to analyze our interview data, and found that expert users described a dichotomy of behaviour where they employed more secure behaviour on important accounts that they deemed more worthy, but had similar practices to non-expert users on remaining accounts. Experts' greater situation awareness allowed them to more easily make informed decisions about password management, and expert practices can be used to suggest ways for non-experts to better manage their passwords.