Recently Google has been trialing a new system that does not require users to enter passwords. Instead users pair their smartphone with their Google login, and when they want to login they will be prompted on their smartphone instead. This means that users may no longer have to remember passwords and will also make the login process more secure.That being said, researchers from Plymouth University in Britain have also come up with a new system dubbed GOTPass. This system will combine the use of images and patterns to help making logins for online banking a lot more secure. It will also reduce the cost for banks or companies where they might need to implement hardware systems, and also more convenient for customers who might no longer need to bring around multiple dongles.
So how does GOTPass work? Users will first need to choose a username, followed by creating a 4×4 unlock pattern similar to what Android offers. They will then be assigned four random themes and they will have to choose one from 30 in each. So when they want to login, they will need to draw the pattern and pick their selected images.
Granted this sounds like a convoluted process, but according to the researchers, it is pretty secure because out of 690 hacking attempts during testing, only 23 were successful. Out of those 23, 8 were genuinely successful while the other 15 were coincidental. According to Dr Maria Papadaki from Plymouth University, “We are now planning further tests to assess the long-term effectiveness of the GOTPass system and more detailed aspects of usability.”
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