Effects of peer feedback on password strength

Passwords have dominated the world of authentication. Their widespread use has made them a prized target for attackers. Various schemes have been employed to strengthen password security to resist such attacks. Numerous websites and applications use password meters to help users create a stronger password. The objective of having a password meter is to provide visual feedback to users on their choice of a password by labeling it as weak, medium, or strong, for example. In this paper, we incorporated social influence, which is the effect others have on an individual's attitude and behavior. This social influence, commonly known as peer feedback, was incorporated in the design of a peer feedback password meter. When participants were given explicit instructions to create a unique password, those that were provided with the peer feedback meter created stronger passwords when compared to those that had the traditional meter.