A Comparative Usability Evaluation of Traditional Password Managers - Information Security and Cryptology-ICISC 2010 - page 249

Ta b l e 6 . % of Users Who Preferred a Particular PM (All, S, NS denote All Users, Students,
Non-Students)

Prefer the Most Secure Convenient

PM All S NS All S NS All S NS

USB 40% 40% 40% 25% 30% 20% 35% 30% 40%

Phone 35% 20% 50% 55% 40% 70% 30% 20% 40%

Online 25% 40% 10% 20% 30% 10% 35% 50% 20%

5.4 Answers to Open-Ended Questions

Few of our test users responded to the open-ended questions that we posed. We quote
below some of the interesting feedback that we received.
-Q : From your understanding what does Roboform2Go [USB] do?
A : Manages, stores passwords and makes them portable. We need to know and
remember only one master password, rest is taken care of by the software.
-Q : From your understanding, what does Lastpass [Online] do?
A : Stores passwords on a central server, so makes it “real time” portable but more
vulnerable towards the attacks from cyber criminals.
-Q : Do you have any suggestions for Lastpass? What would make it more useful or
easier to use?
A1 : Lastpass server should force users to change the passwords more frequently to
make it cyber-attacks proof
A2 : It is good but what if [it] does not respect our privacy and [does] not follow the
code of conduct?
-Q : Why do you prefer this particular type of password manager [USB]?
A : [It is] Easy to handle, portable, comparatively safe.
-Q : Do you think that using a password manager would make it easier to manage
your passwords?
A : Yes, but [it] is not an absolute necessity.
-Q : Why do you prefer this particular type of password manager [Phone]?
A1 : My Phone is the most secure of the devices and I always have it present with
me wherever I go.
A2 : [It provides] Better sense of security.
-Q : Why do you prefer this particular type of password manager [Online]?
A1 : [It is] Easy and no need to carry anything
A2 : It is more efficient because no [additional] hardware is required.
To summarize, we find that users are aware of the importance of security of their pass-
words and would be inclined to use password managers. They expressed concerns
regarding off-shoring their passwords to a remote entity due to security and privacy
reasons and may prefer to use their own devices for managing their passwords. They,
however, may not deem password managers as an absolute necessity.

5.5 Discussion and Summary

We now provide a summary of our most notable findings. Our during test analysis shows
that across all users and across non-students, Online USB Phone, and USB and