Applying Chunking Theory in Organizational Password Guidelines

This research evaluates the human impact that password authentication issues have on the security of information systems within organizations. This research resulted in the creation of password guidelines for authentication with passwords based on Miller’s (1956) and Cowan’s (2001) chunking theory research and a model for predicting the vulnerability that a particular set of conditions have on the likelihood of error in an information system. The findings indicate that human error associated with password authentication can be significantly reduced through the use of passwords that are composed of meaningful data for the user and that meet technical requirements for strong passwords.