Armchair authentication

Renaud, K. and Maguire, J. (2009) Armchair authentication. In: The 23rd British BCS Human Computer Interaction Group Annual Conference on People and Computers: Celebrating People and Technology, Cambridge, UK, 1-5 Sep 2009, pp. 388-397.

Abstract

<p>Alphanumeric authentication, by means of a secret, is not only a powerful mechanism, in theory, but prevails over all its competitors in practice. However, it is clearly inadequate in a world where increasing numbers of systems and services require people to authenticate in a shared space, while being actively observed. This new reality places pressure on a password mechanism never intended for use in such a context. Asterisks may obfuscate alphanumeric characters on entry but popular systems, e.g. Apple iPhone and Nintendo Wii, regularly require users to use an on-screen keyboard for character input. This may not be a real concern within the context of secluded space but inadvertly reveals a secret within shared space. Such a secret has an economic cost in terms of replacement, recall and revenue, all of which affect the financial return of the offending systems and services.</p> <p>In this paper, we present and evaluate a graphical authentication mechanism, Tetrad, which appears to have the potential to address these specific concerns.</p>

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Renaud, Professor Karen and Maguire, Dr Joseph
• Authors: Renaud, K., and Maguire, J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science