Doodling Could Replace Text Passwords

Doodling Could Replace Text Passwords

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Soon, you should be able to ditch your cumbersome mobile passwords, instead opting to use swiping gestures or doodling to log into your smartphone, according to researchers at Rutgers University. They have conducted a study on the feasibility of replacing traditional passwords with freeform gestures that could allow people to draw a “password” of any shape and with any number of fingers.

Freeform gesture passwords pose a viable and serious alternative to text passwords and other login methods, according to this research and previous studies. They are particularly well suited to mobile devices as they are easy to use on touchscreens, easy to remember, and hard to guess, according to Janne Lindqvist, study coauthor and an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering, and a member of WINLAB.

“Preventing people from hacking into your smartphone is a major issue, and it becomes even more important because people carry their smartphones everywhere,” Lindqvist said. “Getting access to somebody’s phone can give a lot of information about that person and make them vulnerable to lots of different kinds of attacks than can have financial and other repercussions.”

Prior studies have shown that PINs and text passwords are hard to use and to remember, and are poorly suited to mobile devices. Short password limits, “shoulder surfing,” and cumbersome and slow use lead to compromised mobile security.

In the study it was found that of 91 participants, those who used gesture passwords spent 22 percent less time logging in and 42 percent less time creating passwords. Easier and faster use, the research show, should be a boon to protection of passwords from prying eyes and general security.