Pattern Based Password Matrix Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing numerical PINs for bank accounts are easy to steal and remember, posing a security risk due to their static nature, and methods like single-use passwords face logistical challenges in distribution and memorability.
Innovation Solution
The Pattern Based Password Tool generates a unique, single-use password by specifying the spatial position of elements on a randomly populated matrix, ensuring each access uses a different password, making it hard to steal while remaining easy to remember.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a short numerical PIN is used for bank account access, then it is easy for the customer to remember, but it is also easy to steal
Solution Approach 1:
The password is segmented into two independent components: a static pattern definition (e.g., 'start at top-left corner, move right twice, down twice') and dynamic matrix content (randomly generated characters positioned at each location). The pattern itself contains no sensitive information, only spatial instructions, while the actual characters change with each matrix regeneration, making observed passwords useless for future access.
Solution Approach 2:
The password system transitions from one-dimensional linear sequences (traditional PINs) to two-dimensional spatial patterns on a matrix grid. Users navigate the matrix using directional movements (up, down, left, right) from a starting position, creating passwords that exploit spatial reasoning rather than simple numerical memorization, thereby improving security while maintaining user-friendly interaction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If single-use passwords are assigned to prevent theft, then security is improved, but logistical and practical challenges arise in distribution and memorability
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables users to generate their own secure passwords without requiring bank staff to distribute physical tokens or complex devices. The ATM interface guides users through pattern selection and matrix interaction, allowing the system itself to provide the security mechanism rather than requiring external logistical support for password distribution and management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the matrix content parameters (random characters, their positions, and the pattern route) with each transaction while keeping the pattern definition constant. This creates effectively infinite unique passwords from a limited set of patterns, eliminating the need for pre-distributed single-use passwords while maintaining their security properties.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a rotating code on compact electronic display is used for single-use passwords, then security is improved, but if the device is lost or stolen, the customer cannot access the account while the thief can
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the secret information from any physical device or stored data and embeds it purely in the user's memory as a spatial pattern. The matrix content is regenerated each time, so no device needs to store or display secret codes. Even if an ATM is compromised or lost, the user retains access through their remembered pattern, while thieves cannot extract passwords by observing or stealing equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
The Pattern Based Password Tool provides a user with a unique, single-use password that is hard to steal, but easy for the user to remember. The Pattern Based Password Tool assigns a password to a user, wherein the password specifies a spatial position of at least one element of a plurality of elements on a matrix. The Pattern Based Password Tool populates the plurality of elements on the matrix with randomly generated characters. After reading a password entry, the Pattern Based Password Tool verifies that the password entry is a correct combination of the characters from the plurality of elements on the matrix that correspond to the spatial position of the at least one element as specified by the password.