Android devices offer a “pattern unlock” feature as a security measure, but it may not be as safe as users think.
A study from the US Naval Academy found it is easy to “shoulder surf” and remember a user’s unlock pattern.
Sophos reported that researchers conducted a large-scale study which involved participants watching videos of users inputting PINs and unlock patterns.
They then asked them to replicate what they saw.
PINs (six digits) were tough for most users, and only 10% were able to reproduce codes in a video. About 25% were able to remember a PIN with multiple viewings.
Unlock patterns that used six nodes, however, were remembered by 64% of participants after one viewing. The success rate increased to 80% with multiple viewings.
Previous research has found that despite Android’s nine-node pattern grid offering 389,112 possible patterns, most people use one of four patterns.
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This is not proof that pattern security is easy to “Crack”. The participants were watching videos of users entering PINS and Unlock Patterns. So basically they were tested on their memory skills between PINS and Unlock Patterns. Unlock patterns are easy to remember as it’s a “Visual” thing. “Unlock patterns that used six nodes, however, were remembered by 64% of participants after one viewing. The success rate increased to 80% with multiple viewings.” i.e. The more you see something is being done, the better you get at doing the same…
PINS are different, they are of course numbers and the sequence in which they are entered. If you love numbers in general then remembering a PIN code should be easy enough to memorize. If you don’t really work much with numbers then you would find it tough at first in remembering the numbers and sequence, but will gradually improve slowly in memorizing them, hence the success rate mentioned above went from 10% to only 25% after multiple viewings.
In the real world out there, people that uses Unlock patterns would generally make sure that nobody can see what the unlock pattern is when they enter it, e.g. at work, or at a place with lots of people.