Password guessing: learn the nature of passwords by studying the human behavior

Abstract

Passwords are essential in our life. They are the access key for all systems that require a security mechanism to avoid the disclosure of sensitive data. However a very common mistake is to create weak passwords based on frequently used patterns. This attitude is helpful to the hackers. Through an in-depth analysis and with the help of pre-existing data leaks, the study conducted investigates the relationship between human beings and the choice of passwords: how the external environment, grammar rules and linguistic habits are deleterious for users. Unlike other studies, which prefer to concentrate their work on only password analysis and their distribution, in this study the protagonist is the human, particular importance has been given to the psychological nuance which allows us to understand how human habits and simplicity are a weak point. Most common patterns, the most frequent replacements are analyzed, the relationship between passwords and some dictionaries of words such as: the most known words, names, colors and many others. Also, other pre-existing scientific and psychological studies that show the relationship between password lengths and other factors such as the choice of numbers and symbols were investigated. It has also reported an in-depth analysis of the different types of cyberattacks which are not only directed to technology also but at humans and at the manipulation of their way of thinking and consequently acting. Finally, through a socio-psychological study that involved more than 100 people, previous discoveries were confirmed and enriched through profiling. Nowadays knowledge of the psychological relationship between humans and the world of information technology of protecting a system is fundamental for the purpose since the psychological / cognitive element becomes the decisive factor for the effectiveness of the attacks themselves.