Account Creation Security of Social Network Sites

The growth of Online Social Networking (OSN) sites has created opportunities for consumers to communicate with others as well as partake in many new services. To use OSN features, consumers must create accounts using security technology and processes established by individual OSNs. These protective measures are not consistent among various networks and there is wide variation on how OSNs use various security methods: password strength, verification, password reset requirements and verification. This study analyzed 30 global networking sites to determine the level of account creation and authentication protection. The results showed significant gaps among security methods, which could lead to vulnerabilities and unauthorized access to personal data, and should raise serious concerns to OSN users and firms. The paper suggests some technical and procedural options for mitigating risks.