Carleton University - School of Computer Science Honours Project
Winter 2024
Love Is Not Sharing A Password: Investigating and Re-Thinking Password Sharing and Account Access
Robert Babaev
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ABSTRACT
In order to share access to accounts, people often share passwords. However, accounts are designed with only a single user in mind, thus sharing the password grants full access to the account. This thesis explores alternatives to sharing access to accounts via sharing passwords, and potential solutions therein. A literature review was performed to assess existing work in the realm of password sharing. To support the design of a new framework for passwordless access sharing known as UpShare, a taxonomy of sharing features in select software was created. The framework is presented along with design considerations, a proof of concept over an existing application and measurements of effort, and a pluralistic walkthrough to assess usability. Implementing UpShare resulted in a 30% increase in overall codebase size, as well as some unforeseen usability and security issues. Regardless, the framework gives valuable insight into usable alternatives for access sharing.