Shoulder-Surfing Resistant Smartphone Authentication Scheme Using Virtual Joystick

Abstract

User authentication techniques such as the setting of passwords are gradually gaining importance as a means of managing important information stored in smartphones. Existing text–based password authentication schemes have the advantages of being quick and easy to use. However, they are problematic in that passwords are easily exposed to shoulder-surfing attack. In addition, a graphical password authentication scheme has the limitation of being difficult to apply to mobile device environments, in which a lot of information must be remembered and small-sized screens are provided. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new hybrid password authentication scheme using a pocket billiard and a virtual joystick, which is secure against shoulder-surfing, brute force attack, and smudge attack and has excellent usability.