Numerous studies have shown us that humans aren’t very good at making secure passwords, and now it looks like we’re not good at making secure lock patterns as well. The lock pattern that Google popularized with Android several years back is an interesting alternative to passcodes and passwords, but it’s no more or less secure than the two because it’s just as easy for experts to predict what you pattern is.
We have been using traditional passwords for a very long time, but Google only introduced lock patterns in 2008. It’s hard to perform thorough studies on such new methods, but this authentication technique is finally becoming more mature. Fast forward to 2015 and good research begins showing up, the latest (and likely biggest) one comes from Marte Løge from the Norwegain University of Science and Technology. What this research shows us is quite worrisome, as it seems to entail we can be just as predictable with these handy lock figures as we are with our passwords. Løge collected about 4000 lock patterns by asking participants to create unlock gestures for supposed shopping apps, banking software and smartphone access. There’s a reason why passwords like “password” and “123456789” exist. Splash Data recently gave us a list of the worst (and most popular) passwords, and seeing those will really open your eyes to this issue. As tech consumers, we look for the simplest route possible. It’s probably a main reason why lock patterns were even created. It’s an easier way to keep your phone protected, but we probably do have to sacrifice some level of security in order to obtain simpler unlock methods.
