Usable security: Why do we need it? How do we get it?

Commonly, individuals are referred to as “the most fragile component” in the structure of system security by security specialists. Notorious hacker Kevin Mitnick stated that he seldom resorted to password cracking, finding it much easier to trick individuals into divulging it through various social engineering methods. These lapses are often attributed to user negligence and unawareness. Yet, more progressive researchers have recognized that current security tools are excessively complex for many users, leading to efforts aimed at enhancing the user interfaces of these tools. In this chapter, our objective is to expand the current viewpoint by concentrating on the user-friendliness of security tools and the process of creating secure systems that function effectively in their real-world contexts. Here, we illustrate how utilizing existing knowledge about human factors and principles of user-centered design can assist security designers in crafting practical and efficient security solutions.