6 Types of Password Fatigue

John Spacey, updated on November 24, 2016

Password fatigue is the stress that users experience due to requirements to create, re-enter, remember and change a large number of passwords. It can be a customer and employee satisfaction issue. It can also be a security issue as requirements to remember and enter passwords frequently encourages users to select simple passwords, write them down and reuse them across multiple systems. The following are several policies that may lead to password fatigue.

Complex Requirements

Highly specific password requirements that force users to jump through hoops to create a password. For example, a website that has 8 different requirements for passwords instead of dynamically judging the complexity of passwords. Users find it particularly difficult to use mixed case passwords.

Password Expiry

Disrupting a user's task flow to ask them to change their password. Users tend to rush through things that interrupt their flow resulting in weak or forgotten passwords.

Session Expiry

When a user's session times out and they need to logon again.

Lack of Single Sign-on

When a user is forced to reenter a password when traversing related sites or applications.

Blocking Password Managers

Blocking password managers that auto-fill passwords may be perceived as a bug on your site. Encourages simple and reused passwords. Forces user to create an except for you resulting in satisfaction issues.

Disallowing Characters

In some cases, older sites disallow a number of characters in passwords. This both makes passwords less complex and increases password fatigue as users struggle to understand why you can't except their chosen password.

Overview: Password Fatigue
Type	Authentication Information Security
Definition	The stress that users experience due to requirements to create, re-enter, remember and change a large number of passwords.
Related Concepts	Strong Password Master Password Password Manager Information Security