Irish computing users and the passwords they choose

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to reveal relationships and trends between different demographics of computing users and establish if they display similar characteristic in the passwords they choose. The research process began with the formation a hypothesis that I though could be proved to be true. Then from reading past research papers I was able to create a list of questions I could ask survey participants. The survey questions were then designed to determine key characteristics that certain demographics illustrate when selecting their passwords. The next step was to collate the information gathered from the survey participants. Lastly the data was analysed to establish if similar demographics of people displayed similar traits when choosing passwords. The research carried out during this survey lead to confirmation that Irish computer users have similar mentalities when choosing passwords to those of United Kingdom and American users, and also when it comes to corporate security we think in a more security conscious fashion then our UK counterparts.