Examining the Privacy of Login Credentials Using Web-Based Single Sign-on - Are We Giving Up Security and Privacy for Convenience?

There is a drastic increase in the amount of individuals that have access to the World Wide Web in order to complete daily tasks. Many of these tasks include keeping up with friends by using social media, checking bank account statements, and transferring files to colleagues all over the world. This ubiquitous tool has virtually revolutionized our entire daily life activities, as we know it. With the introduction of mobile smartphones and other digital advancements, a number of debates have been raised regarding security and privacy issues. A number of which have seamlessly stemmed from the trade-offs between privacy and convenience. With the boom of web services and social media, Web-based Single Sign-on (SSO) schemes are being deployed and used by individuals all over the world. This raises concerns that could potentially allow users to give up on their privacy and security personal credentials for convenience. This paper will take a look into the popular Web-based SSO system security posture. A survey was conducted in order to examine the usage and understanding of individuals utilizing these convenient and precarious schemes. The use of this study will ultimately aid in answering the underlying question: are we as a society slowly giving up security and privacy for convenience?