The demand for information system authentication has significantly increased over the last decade. Research has shown that the majority of user authentications remain to be password based, however, it is well documented that passwords have significant limitations. To address this issue, companies have been placing increased requirements on the user to ensure their passwords are more complex and consequently stronger with little consideration on the impact on employee productivity. Thus, this study was set to determine the effects of changing the password strength (cognitive load) over time and its impact on employee productivity. An experiment with two experimental groups and one control group was conducted. Data was collected on the number of failed operating system logon attempts, users’ logon times, task completion times, and number of reset requests. The data collected from 72 participants was analyzed for group differences and when controlling for computer experience, age, and gender. Our results showed significant differences on all measures between the three groups. However, no significant differences were observed when controlling for computer experience, age, and gender. Furthermore, the results indicated a significant difference between the user’s perceptions about passwords before and after the experiment. Our results may help organizations to realize the point at which increasing authentication places a higher cognitive load on the users, which in turn affects their productivity.
5G provides businesses with high-speed Internet access, faster bandwidth, and low latency. The use of IoT and 5G-enabled sensors provides new opportunities within networks. There are several use cases of 5G with IoT health care, agriculture, remote learning, logistics, manufacturing, government, and retail. However, some security and privacy problems must be addressed within the 5G ecosystem. There is a need to secure user and device associations and data integrity as 5G is becoming more and more popular. In this research-in-progress, we seek to solve security and privacy problems in 5G by applying Blockchain technology to secure 5G connections. The research will consist of an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Illinois State University (ISU) and non-academic-industry partners. During the study, we build a prototype that solves problems in agriculture and healthcare. A private 5G network is installed at ISU. Moisture sensors and IoT devices are installed at the university farm to monitor soil moisture. Tracking soil moisture helps to conserve water. Additionally, we also work with a local clinic and provide underserved patients with chronic illnesses with sensors and IoT devices that help them track and monitor their chronic conditions. The patients will have monitors that track blood pressure and blood sugar. The IoT devices and sensors send collected data to a database accessible by healthcare professionals at the clinic. This helps the patients receive care that helps them manage their conditions better. Blockchain will be applied during the proposed study to secure communications between the sensors at the university farm and the private 5G network. Blockchain is also be applied to secure communications between the patients and healthcare providers at the clinic. The collected results are analyzed to see if there is a significant difference in suspicious activities in agriculture and healthcare communications. The results have a broader impact, including helping underserved community members to receive good care in managing their chronic conditions. The results also help secure other use cases of 5G with IoT devices.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the differences in security-conscious (group A) and regular (group B) users’ behaviors and practices on mobile devices. Design/methodology/approach A survey was used to investigate the differences in behaviors and practices of security-conscious users (group A) and regular users (group B) on mobile devices. Each group will have 50 participants for a total of 100. Findings The analysis revealed differences in the behaviors and practices of security-conscious and regular users. The results indicated that security-conscious users engage in behaviors and practices that are more secure on mobile devices when compared with regular users. Research limitations/implications The results will help recommend the best behaviors and practices for mobile device users, increasing mobile device security. Social implications The results will help society to be more aware of security behaviors and practices on mobile devices. Originality/value This study answers the call for addressing the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in mobile device security. It develops a research instrument to measure the differences in behaviors and practices of security-conscious and regular mobile device users.
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