Authentication Management of Home IoT Devices

The number of IoT devices in the home has been increasing rapidly. With the popularity comes different security vulnerabilities. One of the main causes for some vulnerabilities is users' weak password management strategies. In this paper, we explored end-users' password management for home IoT devices. We conducted a literature survey examining previous works on security and privacy concerns of home IoT devices and password management. We also conducted an online survey with 93 home IoT device users to determine their security and privacy concerns, authentication management, and feature preferences for a new authentication management tool. We found out that our participants were very concerned about security/privacy issues, but they followed insecure security steps in practice. However, they were found to be welcoming towards a new security tool for managing their passwords. We used the findings to suggest design principles for the design of an authentication management tool for home IoT devices.

Automated summary

The research found that home IoT device users are very concerned about security and privacy issues, but tend to use insecure security measures in practice. They showed a welcoming attitude towards a new security tool for password management.