Single password authentication protocol

Abstract

Internet users usually subscribe to a few online services. Remembering a different password for each service becomes a burden and a challenge for some. As a result, many Internet users frequently use the same password for multiple accounts. This kind of practice is risky since each service has a different security level. For example, an online community site has a weaker security measure than an online bank site. If an attacker has compromised a lower security service and obtained the user’s password, the attacker may be able to identify other accounts and use the stolen password. Therefore, reusing passwords becomes a security risk, and is not generally recommended. This paper tries to mitigate the risk of reusing an identical password for multiple accounts by implementing a single password authentication protocol. The proposed protocol does not expose the user’s password in the event of the server or the communication line has been breached.