Icon-Based Password Authentication with Shift Coordinates
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing password authentication methods are vulnerable to shoulder surfing and hacking, as passwords can be easily stolen or compromised, lacking effective protection against unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
A user authentication method using a combination of icons and input patterns, where a secret icon is recognized based on a shift coordinate value, generating a complex character string as a password, which is stored and used for authentication, minimizing the risk of password leakage and providing secure authentication without revealing the actual password.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional password authentication method is used, then the authentication process is simple and easy to operate, but the password is vulnerable to shoulder surfing and hacking attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The password input process is segmented into multiple stages: first the user inputs a visible pattern, then a shift coordinate value, and finally a secret icon. Each segment serves a specific security function, transforming a single complex password into multiple simpler inputs that collectively provide strong security while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate elements (shift coordinate values and secret icons) that act as mediators between the user and the actual password. These intermediaries obscure the real password from observers while still allowing legitimate users to authenticate, effectively resolving the contradiction between security and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a complex password is created to prevent hacking, then password security is improved, but the user must remember a complex password which reduces ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The complex authentication credentials are segmented into multiple manageable parts: a visual pattern, coordinate shifts, and icon selections. Users only need to remember simple visual elements rather than a single complex string, maintaining security while improving memorability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring users to remember complex password strings, the system uses visual copies and representations (icons, patterns, coordinates) that are easier to recall. The actual password can be regenerated from these visual elements, eliminating the need for memorization while maintaining security.
3Speed
If a password is stored in the user terminal for authentication, then authentication speed is improved, but the password key can be hacked by hacking programs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces secret icons and shift coordinate values as intermediaries between the stored authentication data and the user input. These intermediaries allow the system to verify authentication credentials without exposing the actual password to hacking programs, maintaining both fast authentication and security against hacking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical password storage and verification with a more sophisticated system using visual patterns, coordinate transformations, and icon recognition. This substitution maintains authentication speed while providing enhanced protection against hacking through multiple layers of obfuscation.
Data Source
AI summary
A password input device comprises a storage unit for storing character strings according to each icon; an input window generation unit for generating and displaying an input window on which a plurality of icons are arranged; a secret icon recognition unit which confirms a shift coordinate value and recognizes icons, which are arranged on coordinates inversely moved up to the shift coordinate value from a coordinate value at which a selected icon is arranged, as secret icons selected by the user if the user selects the icon; and an authentication processing unit which confirms a character string corresponding to each secret icon recognized in the secret icon recognition unit, generates a combined character string in which the one or more confirmed character strings are arranged, and authenticates the user by confirming whether the generated combined character string is consistent with the user's password stored in the storage unit.