An efficient algorithm to enable login into secure systems using mouse gestures

Abstract

This paper proposes an algorithm to use mouse gestures as an optional login facility which can be integrated into existing systems that require an additional level of security. The aim of this facility is to eliminate the problem of login using the traditional keyboard in public systems by incorporating a real time user signature. The main advantage of this facility is that no additional hardware component or device is required apart from a standard mouse. This implies that this algorithm will make existing systems more secure at no additional cost. This system works by accepting mouse gestures as inputs from the user. The gestures are then interpreted as patterns of mouse motions and are converted to strings based on change of directions. These strings can be further improved in complexity and fed as password to the system authentication module via a pluggable authentication module (PAM). © 2011 Springer-Verlag.