Solving password problems one at a time, Re: The password-reset paradox

Ed Gerck edgerck at nma.com
Mon Feb 23 17:40:43 EST 2009


James A. Donald wrote:
> No one is going to check for the correct three letter
> combination, because it is not part of the work flow, so
> they will always forget to do it.

Humans tend to notice patterns. We  easily notice mispelngs. Your 
experience may be different but we found out in testing that 
three-letters can be made large enough to become a visually noticeable 
pattern.

Reversing the point, the fact that a user can ignore the three-letters 
is useful if the user forgets them. The last thing users want is one 
more hassle. The idea is to give users a way to allay spoofing concerns, 
if they so want and are motivated to, or learn to be motivated. Mark 
Twain's cat was afraid of the cold stove.

Cheers,
Ed Gerck

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