Visual Token Passwords for Secure Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional text-based passwords are difficult to memorize and manage, often requiring complex combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols, leading to security risks when written down or stored digitally.
Innovation Solution
Implementing visual passwords, where a displayable feature in an image serves as the password, assigned to a username, allowing users to access secure information by selecting images containing the visual password, thereby eliminating the need for password transmission over public networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If text-based passwords are used, then authentication can be performed, but the passwords are difficult to memorize and may be exposed when written down or stored digitally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces text-based password input with visual password recognition. Instead of typing or memorizing complex text strings, users select images containing visual passwords from a gallery. This substitution of mechanical text input with visual selection resolves the contradiction by making passwords easier to remember while maintaining security through image-based authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary image gallery system between the user and the authentication process. Visual passwords are embedded within images that users must search and select. This intermediary layer prevents direct password transmission over networks while still enabling authentication, thus improving security without compromising ease of use.
2Reliability
If complex passwords with multiple requirements are used, then security is improved, but the user must memorize multiple complicated passwords
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication process into visual image selection rather than requiring users to manage multiple complex password strings. Each visual password is a distinct image that can be independently selected, simplifying the overall password management system while maintaining security through diverse visual authentication elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of password representation from text-based characters to visual image-based codes. This parameter change transforms complex text passwords into simpler visual selections, reducing the cognitive load on users while maintaining or enhancing security through image recognition and selection mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If passwords are transmitted over public networks, then authentication can be performed, but the passwords are exposed to nefarious actors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the password transmission step from the authentication process by implementing local visual password verification. Instead of transmitting passwords over networks, the system verifies visual password selections locally on the user's device. This extraction eliminates the security vulnerability of network transmission while preserving the authentication functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-loading an image gallery containing visual passwords onto the user's device before authentication is needed. This preliminary loading enables local verification without network transmission, as the visual passwords are already present on the device in an encrypted or secure format, ready for immediate authentication.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein describe using visual passwords to control access to secure information. When a user attempts to access the secure information, she can provide her username to an authentication agent which identifies the visual password corresponding to the received username and selects a first set of images that contains the visual password and a second set of images that does not. The first and second sets of images are then transmitted to a user device. The user device can display the first and second sets of images to the user who selects which images have the visual password. An indication of which images the user selected is then transmitted to the authentication engine which determines whether the user selected all the images in the first set and none of the images in the second set. If so, the user is granted access to the secure information.