Skip to main content
USENIX
  • Conferences
  • Students
Sign in
  • Home
  • Attend
    • Registration Information
    • Registration Discounts
    • Venue, Hotel, and Travel
    • Students and Grants
  • Program
    • At a Glance
    • Symposium Program
    • 2nd Workshop on Security Information Workers
    • Who Are You?! Adventures in Authentication
    • Workshop on Privacy Indicators
    • Workshop on Security Fatigue
    • Workshop on the Future of Privacy Notices and Indicators: Will Drones Deliver My Privacy Policy?
  • Activities
    • Poster Session
    • Birds-of-a-Feather Sessions
  • Sponsorship
  • Participate
    • Instructions for Authors and Speakers
    • Call for Nominations
    • Call for Papers
    • Call for Posters and Proposals
      • Call for Papers: 2nd Workshop on Security Information Workers
      • Call for Papers: Who are you?! Adventures in Authentication
      • Call for Papers: Workshop on Privacy Indicators
      • Call for Papers: Workshop on Security Fatigue
      • Workshop: Will Drones Deliver My Privacy Policy?
  • About
    • Organizers
    • Past Symposia

sponsors

Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Industry Partner
  • Home
  • Attend
  • Program
  • Activities
  • Sponsorship
  • Participate
  • About

connect with us


  •  Twitter
  •  Facebook
  •  LinkedIn
  •  Google+
  •  YouTube

twitter

Tweets by @usenix

usenix conference policies

  • Event Code of Conduct
  • Conference Network Policy
  • Statement on Environmental Responsibility Policy

You are here

Home » Use the Force: Evaluating Force-Sensitive Authentication for Mobile Devices
Tweet

connect with us

Use the Force: Evaluating Force-Sensitive Authentication for Mobile Devices

Authors: 

Katharina Krombholz, SBA Research and Ruhr-University Bochum; Thomas Hupperich and Thorsten Holz, Ruhr-University Bochum

Abstract: 

Modern, off-the-shelf smartphones provide a rich set of possible touchscreen interactions, but knowledge-based authentication schemes still rely on simple digit or character input. Previous studies examined the shortcomings of such schemes based on unlock patterns, PINs, and passcodes.

In this paper, we propose to integrate pressure-sensitive touchscreen interactions into knowledge-based authentication schemes. By adding a (practically) invisible, pressure-sensitive component, users can select stronger PINs that are harder to observe for a shoulder surfer. We conducted a within-subjects design lab study (n = 50) to compare our approach termed force-PINs with standard four-digit and six-digit PINs regarding their usability performance and a comprehensive security evaluation. In addition, we conducted a field study that demonstrated lower authentication overhead. Finally, we found that force-PINs let users select higher entropy PINs that are more resilient to shoulder surfing attacks with minimal impact on the usability performance.

Katharina Krombholz, SBA Research and Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Thomas Hupperich, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Thorsten Holz, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Open Access Media

USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.

BibTeX
@inproceedings {197312,
author = {Katharina Krombholz and Thomas Hupperich and Thorsten Holz},
title = {Use the Force: Evaluating {Force-Sensitive} Authentication for Mobile Devices},
booktitle = {Twelfth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS 2016)},
year = {2016},
isbn = {978-1-931971-31-7},
address = {Denver, CO},
pages = {207--219},
url = {https://www.usenix.org/conference/soups2016/technical-sessions/presentation/krombholz},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = jun,
}
Download
Krombholz PDF
View the slides

Presentation Audio

MP3 Download

Download Audio

  • Log in or    Register to post comments

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Media Sponsors & Industry Partners

© USENIX

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us