Master Thesis Web Platforms

Re-authentication is when a site asks a signed-in user to prove it is really them before a sensitive step. My thesis studied how usable those checks are, and that needs real websites that participants actually use, not mockups.

• Security question, SMS code and email link re-authentication on both platforms
• Stream Me, a streaming site, and a social network for friends, both fully working
• Risk-based re-authentication prompts and secure user data handling
• Hosting and deployment on Firebase

Three methods, two platforms. Each method works end-to-end, from the prompt to verification and the user’s session.

Secure data handling. User data handled with care, since the research was about authentication.

End-to-end ownership. Designed, built and deployed both platforms on my own.

The thesis, “Contextual Evaluation of Risk-Based Re-Authentication Factors”, was graded 1.0 at Universität des Saarlandes. Participants used working products, so the study compared all three methods in real sign-in flows. The lesson: security steps need the same design care as any other flow.