Graphical Password Strategy

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GRAPHICAL PASSWORD STRATEGY

ABSTRACT

Alphanumeric passwords are widely used in computer and network authentication to protect users’ privacy. However, it is well known that long, text-based passwords are hard for people to remember, while shorter ones are susceptible to attack. Graphical password is a promising solution to this problem. Hence, Graphical password authentication by using passpoints scheme has been introduced in this project. Graphical password authentication by using passpoints scheme is a model to identify the most likely regions for user to click in order to create graphical password. The operation of the purposed scheme is simple and easy to learn for user since they familiar with textual graphical password scheme. In conclusion, this graphical password scheme will make it easier for user to do their authentication process since it is easy to remember and hard to guess by others.

 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1           Background

By the very nature of the Internet, access is very easy, attracting individuals of different kind and with different aim. While some individuals are aimed at sharing information others tend to conduct malicious activities. As a result, information security is of great importance to any service provider. Information security can be described as actions that implement services which assure adequate protection for information systems used by or hosted within an organization. From the description, services are technical or managerial methods used with respect to the information being protected. Information systems are computer systems or communication systems that handle the information being protected, and protection implies the conjunction of integrity, confidentiality, authenticity, and availability (Shimeall & Spring, 2014). Hence, most organizations specify a password policy that sets requirements for the composition and usage of passwords, typically dictating minimum length, required categories (e.g. upper and lower case, numbers, and special characters), prohibited elements (e.g. own name, date of birth, address, telephone number). Some governments have national authentication frameworks that define requirements for user authentication to government services, including requirements for passwords (Alfayyadh et al, 2011).

A password is a word or string of characters used for user authentication to prove identity of access approval to gain access to a resource, which is to be kept secret from those not allowed access. (Rodriguez, 2015). The use of passwords is known to be ancient.  Security would challenge those wishing to enter an area or approaching it to supply a password or watchword, and would only allow individuals or group to pass if they knew the password. In modern times, user names and passwords are commonly used by people during a log in process that controls access to protected computer operating systems, mobile phones, cable TV decoders, automated teller machines (ATMs). A typical computer user has passwords for many purposes: logging into accounts, retrieving e-mail, accessing applications, databases, networks, web sites, and even reading the morning newspaper online. Despite the name, there is no need for passwords to be actual words; indeed passwords which are not actual words may be harder to guess, a desirable property. Some passwords are formed from multiple words and may more accurately be called a passphrase. The terms passcode and passkey are sometimes used when the secret information is purely numeric, such as the personal identification number (PIN) commonly used for ATM access. Passwords are generally short enough to be easily memorized and typed. (Christopher, 2015)

Confidentiality, availability, data integrity and authentication are few of the major security features provided by information security in ensuring the reliability of information. The importance of each of these varies depending on the type of organization (e.g. confidentiality will be of most importance to the military). Authentication is related to identification and it is the most fundamental procedure to ensure security and provide access to sensitive web resources to users over the Internet. The most utilized and popular authentication method is the Text-based password authentication which requires a valid user I.D. (Identity) and password in other to prevent unauthorized access (Liao & Lee, 2010; Menezes et al, 1997). This mechanism is easy and inexpensive to implement; however, this static password comes with major security drawbacks. For example, users tend to implement easy to guess password, use the same password in multiple accounts, write the passwords or store them on their machines making it susceptible to numerous attacks including dictionary attack, brute force attack, phishing attack, shoulder surfing etc. (Prakash, Infant & Shobana, 2010).

This trivial password mania by users has become a bedrock for computer hackers/crackers and therefore, the focus of this work is to create a platform to enable users to generate a stronger password that is easy to remember and implement but difficult for unauthorized personnel.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Over the years, other authentication methods have been developed which involves the use of secondary object (token based authentication) or biometric system (biometric based authentication) (Abdulkader, Ayman & Mostafa, 2015). Though more secured, these methods require more infrastructure/equipment.

Since the mid-1990s, several graphical based password schemes have been developed aimed at strengthening security and enhancing the password memorability. (Alsaiari, Papadaki, Dowland & Furnell, 2016). Graphical password is based on the use of images/pictures rather than text. The idea of graphical password has stirred several experiments, theories and assumptions showing that presenting items as pictures is easier to remember than presenting items as words. Thus, the pictures superiority effect appears to significantly increase memorability. (Paivio, 1991; Standing, Conezio & Haber, 1970). Graphical based password provides some benefits such as enlarging the passwords space (in some graphical authentication), reducing choice of trivial passwords, and making it difficult to share and write passwords (Golofit, 2007). However, this method is still vulnerable to various types of attacks especially shoulder-surfing (Biddle, Chiasson & Oorschot, 2011). In addition, in some graphical schemes, users have to browse through the entire set of images/pictures/objects, pictures have larger size than text, and therefore the server is expected to allocate a reasonable amount of space in storing these pictures. (Wiedenbeck, Waters, Birget, Brodskiy & Memon, 2005).

Therefore, this research proposes a graphical authentication that increases memorability, resistant to shoulder surfing, aid in searching and requires no upload of pictures/images during registration and authentication.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The main objective of this study is to develop a secure Graphical password strategy for web based applications. The specific objectives are to:

  • design a web based graphical technique password strategy for securing systems.
  • test and evaluate the password space, entropy and resistance to common online attack .
    • Significance of the Study

This research provides a graphical environment to assist users in implementing a robust password and increase memorability, optimize storage utilization capacity of the server makes it impractical to share password, therefore immune to phishing attacks and contributes to the existing solutions which researchers have developed in mitigating attacks such as dictionary, brute force,  shoulder surfing attack,etc

1.5 Scope of the Study

The study focused on the design and development of a Graphical password strategy for web based applications. The study also covered the  implementation of the Graphical Password  application using PassPoint technique. Also, to test the effectiveness of Graphical Password strategy  system using PassPoint technique formed the major scope of the study.

Graphical Password Strategy

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