Technology Corner: Calculating the Number of Android Lock Patterns: An Unfinished Study in Number Theory

Abstract

Although one is unlikely to ever want to brute-force an Android lock pattern, many do wonder about the relative strength of the lock pattern versus a multi-digit personal identification number (PIN). It becomes obvious pretty quickly that there are many more lock patterns than the 10,000 possible four-digit PINs. (see PDF for full technology corner)