Article: GeoGraphical passwords Journal: International Journal of Security and Networks (IJSN) 2014 Vol.9 No.1 pp.56 - 62 Abstract: It is indeed becoming more challenging for users to maintain different strong passwords for their ever increasing accounts. The lack of secure access credentials has recently led to the compromise of millions of users passwords stored in popular websites, due to guessing, dictionary, or brute force attacks. In this paper, we address the conventional password problem and propose a novel, simple, and practical access credential that would provide secure access to different entities and mitigate many vulnerabilities associated with current password based schemes. We name our proposal GeoGraphical passwords, which is an access credential based on geographical information. The credential utilise the remarkable human ability to remember places as a way to provide safe access, where users can select geographical locations (such as favourite places, mountains, trees, rivers or others) as their access credential to different systems. We develop a prototype to show one possible implementation of GeoGraphical passwords and improve the credential's ability to protect itself from common password threats in an attempt to mitigate the frequent risks associated with - the difficult to remember, construct, and maintain - conventional passwords. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: GeoGraphical passwords

Authors: Ziyad S. Al-Salloum

Addresses: ZSS – Research, P.O. Box 16211, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Abstract: It is indeed becoming more challenging for users to maintain different strong passwords for their ever increasing accounts. The lack of secure access credentials has recently led to the compromise of millions of users passwords stored in popular websites, due to guessing, dictionary, or brute force attacks. In this paper, we address the conventional password problem and propose a novel, simple, and practical access credential that would provide secure access to different entities and mitigate many vulnerabilities associated with current password based schemes. We name our proposal GeoGraphical passwords, which is an access credential based on geographical information. The credential utilise the remarkable human ability to remember places as a way to provide safe access, where users can select geographical locations (such as favourite places, mountains, trees, rivers or others) as their access credential to different systems. We develop a prototype to show one possible implementation of GeoGraphical passwords and improve the credential's ability to protect itself from common password threats in an attempt to mitigate the frequent risks associated with - the difficult to remember, construct, and maintain - conventional passwords.

Keywords: user passwords; graphical passwords; GeoGraphical passwords; access control; access credentials; authentication; access security; password vulnerabilities; geographical information; geographical locations; favourite locations; places.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSN.2014.059330

International Journal of Security and Networks, 2014 Vol.9 No.1, pp.56 - 62

Received: 30 Aug 2013
Accepted: 02 Oct 2013
Published online: 17 Feb 2014 *

Title: GeoGraphical passwords

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