Communications security


Doodling Could Replace Text Passwords

Soon, you should be able to ditch your cumbersome mobile passwords, instead opting to use swiping gestures or doodling to log into your smartphone, according to researchers at Rutgers University. They have conducted a study on the feasibility of replacing traditional passwords with freeform gestures that could allow people to draw a “password” of any shape and with any number of fingers.

Freeform gesture passwords pose a viable and serious alternative to text passwords and other login methods, according to this research and previous studies. They are particularly well suited to mobile devices as they are easy to use on touchscreens, easy to remember, and hard to guess, according to Janne Lindqvist, study coauthor and an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering, and a member of WINLAB.