Dynamic Touchscreen Keypad Masking for Secure PIN Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication methods, particularly on mobile devices, are vulnerable to security exploits using sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes, and biometric data is difficult to change, making them insecure for sensitive data entry and verification.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that dynamically changes the location of a virtual keypad on a touch screen, generating a mapping between an operable keypad and a depicted image, ensuring the actual input is encoded and hidden from view, using a secure environment like TEE or HSM for processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If biometric authentication is used, then user convenience is improved, but security is worsened due to inability to change biometric data and vulnerability to sensor exploits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic randomization of keypad zone positions and configurations on the touch screen. The keypad layout changes between authentication sessions, making sensor-based prediction attacks ineffective while maintaining the convenience of biometric input methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a secure enclave or trusted execution environment as an intermediary layer between the biometric sensor and the authentication decision. This secure environment performs the actual authentication logic, isolating it from potential sensor exploits and allowing the system to maintain high security while supporting convenient biometric input.
2Reliability
If PIN-based authentication is used, then security is improved, but user convenience is worsened due to need to remember and manually enter codes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges biometric authentication capabilities with PIN-based security protocols. The system accepts biometric input (fingerprint, face recognition) but processes it through a secure authentication framework that maintains the security properties of traditional PIN systems, including secure enclave verification and encoded challenge-response protocols.
3Ease of operation
If static keypad location is used, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to sensor data exploitation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic randomization of keypad zone positions and configurations on the touch screen. The keypad layout changes between authentication sessions, making sensor-based prediction attacks ineffective while maintaining the convenience of biometric input methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial parameters of the keypad interface by randomly selecting different zones and configurations for each authentication session. This parameter randomization prevents attackers from using accelerometer and gyroscope data to predict key locations, thereby securing the authentication process while preserving ease of use.
Data Source
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AI summary
Improved methods and systems for secure data entry and/or authentication of a user are provided. A preferred method of the invention comprises: selecting a keypad zone within an area of a display zone of a touch screen which comprises a plurality of hotspots that implement the keys of an operable keypad; providing an image of a keypad at the same location as the keypad zone such that the keypad image covers the operable keys within the keypad zone and the keypad image functions as a visible mask or cover over the operable keys of the keypad zone; a new keypad zone is selected at a different location within the display zone when the process is subsequently repeated, such that the keypad zone and the image are re-positioned to provide an operable keypad and overlaid, masking keypad image in a new area of the screen.