On the effectiveness of pattern lock strength meters- Measuring the strength of real world pattern locks

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

We propose an effective pattern lock strength meter to help users choose stronger pattern locks on Android devices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed meter with a real world dataset (i.e., with complete ecological validity), we created an Android application called EnCloud that allows users to encrypt their Dropbox files. 101 pattern locks generated by real EnCloud users were collected and analyzed, where some portion of the users were provided with the meter support. Our statistical analysis indicates that about 10% of the pattern locks that were generated without the meter support could be compromised through just 16 guessing attempts. As for the pattern locks that were generated with the meter support, that number goes up to 48 guessing attempts, showing significant improvement in security. Our recommendation is to implement a strength meter in the next version of Android.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCHI 2015 - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Subtitle of host publicationCrossings
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages2343-2352
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781450331456
DOIs
StatePublished - 18 Apr 2015
Event33rd Annual CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2015 - Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Duration: 18 Apr 201523 Apr 2015

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings
Volume2015-April

Conference

Conference33rd Annual CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2015
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CitySeoul
Period18/04/1523/04/15

Keywords

  • Password
  • Password strength meter
  • Pattern lock
  • Security

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