A system using images and a one-time numerical code can provide a secure
and easy to use alternative to multiple device password systems like
are used in online banking, researchers say.
It can also be easier for
users to remember and be less expensive for providers to implement
since it would not require the deployment of potentially costly hardware
systems," said the team from Plymouth University in Britain.
The
"GOTPass" system will be applicable for online banking and other such
services where users with several accounts would struggle to carry
around multiple devices to gain access.
They also publish the
results of a series of security tests, demonstrating that out of 690
hacking attempts - using a range of guesswork and more targeted methods -
there were just 23 successful break-ins.
Traditional passwords
are undoubtedly very usable but regardless of how safe people might feel
their information is, the password's vulnerability is well known.
"The
GOTPass system is easy to use and implement, while at the same time
offering users confidence that their information is being held
securely," said PhD student Hussain Alsaiari.
To set up the
GOTPass system, users would have to choose a unique username and draw
any shape on a 4x4 unlock pattern, similar to that already used on
mobile devices.
They will then be assigned four random themes, being prompted to select one image from 30 in each.
When
they subsequently log in to their account, the user would enter their
username and draw the pattern lock, with the next screen containing a
series of 16 images, among which are two of their selected images - six
associated distractors and eight random decoys.
Correctly
identifying the two images would lead to the generated eight-digit
random code located on the top or left edges of the login panel which
the user would then need to type in to gain access to their information.
Initial
tests have shown the system to be easy to remember for users, while
security analysis showed just eight of the 690 attempted hackings were
genuinely successful, with a further 15 achieved through coincidence.
"We
are now planning further tests to assess the long-term effectiveness of
the GOTPass system and more detailed aspects of usability," added Dr
Maria Papadaki from Plymouth University in a paper appeared in the
Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective.
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