A conceptual framework for evaluating usable security in authentication mechanisms - usability perspectives

Little research has been focused on the balance between usability and security in authentication mechanisms when evaluating the effectiveness of these systems. Most of the current authentication mechanisms rely on character-based passwords with a number of alternative suggestions claiming to improve some usability aspects of the authentication mechanism concept. This paper presents a conceptual framework for assessing usable security in authentication mechanisms with the purpose of guiding the usability and security evaluation process in a given environment by balancing quality metrics. The framework defines quality criteria which are quantified according to two principles: participation and categorization. Building on previous works we focus on usability perspectives in more detail. To conclude we present a mathematical approach that derives a total quality score for usable security in a security system.