Graphical passwords

Abstract

Passwords are the most commonly used method for identifying users in computer and communication systems. Typically, passwords are strings of letters and digits, i.e., they are alpha-numeric. Such passwords have the disadvantage of being hard to remember. We discuss graphical passwords, which consist of some actions that the user performs on an image. Such passwords are easier to remember, but are vulnerable to shoulder surfing (which consists of simply watching a user login). We present a few graphical password schemes that offer resistance to shoulder surfing.