BlindLogin: A Graphical Authentication System with Support for Blind and Visually Impaired users on Smartphones

Yean Li Ho,Siong Hoe Lau,Bachir Bendrissou,Afizan Azman

doi:10.3844/ajassp.2017.551.559

Abstract

Most graphical password systems on smart phones do not consider the needs of blind and visually impaired users. The main objective of this paper is to propose a new graphical authentication system which combines the usability of the graphical password with the security of the textual password and allows all types of users, including the blind and visually impaired users to use the same authentication system on a smartphone without any extra costs for special hardware. 84.6% of those surveyed would recommend BlindLogin to their friends. 46.2% of the respondents also found the BlindLogin password to be easier to remember than the regular textual password. BlindLogin is a viable alternative as a universal graphical password authentication system.

Highlights

Authentication systems are basically categorized into three types: Knowledge-based, token-based and biometric-based
We propose BlindLogin (Fig. 2), a reasonably secure graphical password system which is universally more usable because it supports the blind and visually impaired users as it works well with TalkBack, an Accessibility software option in the Android smartphone
Most of the respondents (84.6%) would recommend BlindLogin to their friends. 46.2% of the respondents found the BlindLogin password to be easier to remember than the regular textual password

Summary

Introduction

Authentication systems are basically categorized into three types: Knowledge-based (something you know), token-based (something you own) and biometric-based (something you are). Knowledge-based authentication systems are the most frequently used and the most common knowledgebased authentication system is the textual password. In 1996, a new branch of knowledge-based passwords known as graphical passwords were introduced by Blonder (1996). Narender et al (2010) noted that textual passwords which are long and randomly formed are hard to remember. Users go around this situation by choosing simple easy to remember and insecure words like names and dictionary words or write down their passwords on sticky notes and place them in an accessible location like on the computer monitor. Graphical passwords are more suitable for keyboard less systems like smartphones and can be used to overcome weaknesses of textual passwords like brute-force attacks and key-logging attacks (Kimwele et al, 2009)

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion