Touchscreen Keyboard Key Shuffling for Input Security

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current keyboard display methods on electronic devices are vulnerable to network attacks, allowing attackers to determine key information by analyzing touch points on the screen, leading to leakage of sensitive data such as usernames and passwords.

Innovation Solution

A method where a terminal adjusts the arrangement order of some keys on a touchscreen keyboard before a touch event occurs, ensuring that the character input by an attacker differs from the actual input, thereby securing key information. This adjustment is done by determining the location of the touching object and adjusting the order of keys within a preset range, reducing energy consumption and improving input speed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the arrangement order of all keys on the keyboard is adjusted, then key information security is improved, but the difficulty of determining key location increases and information input speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvekey information securityVSAvoidinformation input speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard keys are divided into multiple groups based on their spatial locations (e.g., first group, second group, third group). Only certain groups are adjusted in arrangement order while others remain unchanged, allowing security enhancement without completely disrupting the familiar keyboard layout and maintaining acceptable input speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the keyboard are treated differently - some key groups are adjusted for security while others maintain their original arrangement. This local differentiation allows the system to enhance security in critical areas without affecting the overall usability and input speed of the entire keyboard.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the arrangement order of all keys on the keyboard is adjusted, then key information security is improved, but the processing load and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvekey information securityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard adjustment operation is segmented into selective group adjustments rather than processing all keys. This reduces the computational load and energy consumption while still achieving the security objective of preventing key information leakage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of adjusting all keys (excessive action), the system adjusts only certain key groups (partial action) which is sufficient to achieve the security goal. This partial adjustment reduces processing requirements and energy consumption while maintaining effective security protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If a normal keyboard arrangement is displayed, then information input speed is maintained, but key information leakage occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation input speedVSAvoidkey information leakage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary adjustment of key arrangement order before the user actually inputs information. This advance adjustment ensures that even if an attacker captures the keyboard layout and touch points, they cannot correlate the two to obtain key information, while the user experiences no disruption in input speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the potential harm of keyboard layout analysis into a benefit by using the known layout information as a basis for creating the adjusted layout. The adjustment process itself, which might seem to complicate the system, actually provides the security benefit of preventing key information leakage while maintaining usability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentEP3249513B1Keyboard display method and device
Publication Date: 2020.10.21 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3249513B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2a
  • EP3249513B1 patent drawingFigure 2b~2d
  • EP3249513B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and an apparatus for displaying a keyboard, and a terminal device. The method includes: displaying, on a touchscreen, a keyboard whose keys are normally arranged; before a touching object touches the keyboard on the touchscreen, obtaining a location, which the touching object points to, on the keyboard; adjusting an arrangement order of some keys on the keyboard, where the keys include keys within a preset range, the preset range includes the location, which the touching object points to, on the keyboard, and the preset range includes at least two keys; and displaying the adjusted keyboard on the touchscreen. By means of the technical solutions in the present invention, an arrangement order of some keys on a keyboard displayed by a terminal is adjusted, thereby avoiding leakage of key information. In addition, an arrangement order of only some keys on the keyboard displayed by the terminal is adjusted, thereby avoiding a problem of difficulty in determining a location of a key after an arrangement order of all keys is adjusted, improving an information input speed, and reducing energy consumption of the terminal.