A User Authentication Method for Touch Screen Devices Having the Tolerance to Smudge Attacks

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25330159
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Information security
• Research Institution: Tokai University
• Principal Investigator: Uchida Osamu 東海大学, 情報理工学部, 教授 (50329306)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: ユーザ認証 / 画像認証 / スマートフォン / タッチスクリーン端末 / smudge攻撃

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Users of smartphones and/or tablet computers browse and download confidential document
files routinely. Therefore, the higher security level is needed for smartphones and tablet computers than conventional mobile phones (feature phones). In this study, we proposed a user authentication method for touch screen devices that is resistant to smudge attacks, which guesses authentication pattern from dirt on the screen. We actually implemented it as an application for smartphones. The proposed method is an image authentication method that uses images taken by users themselves as pass images, and is also resistant to observation attacks and recording attacks. In addition, we conducted various considerations on the success rate of authentication and attack resistance, and examined improvements to improve them.

Free Research Field

情報通信工学