CSC 379 SUM2008:Week 3, Group 3
"Best Practices" Research
Policies
Password Length
Character Restriction
Password Change Frequency
Password History Restriction
Ethical Concerns
Costs and Benefits Password Regulations
“Best practices” sometimes seem to take on a life of their own, independent of any recent assessment of their costs and benefits. An example is password policies; maximum length, restrictions on characters that can be used, and password-change frequency. Evaluate these popular password regulations. Do they provide adequate benefits for costs incurred? What ethical considerations do poorly evaluated “best practices” raise? Do policy-makers have an ethical responsibility to evaluate “best practices” before adopted? A responsibility to re-evaluate existing practices?
Cite specific evidence in your cost/benefit analysis from quality sources (professional/academic journals preferred).