The popular pattern lock system used to protect millions and millions of Android phones can be broken in just five attempts. As if this were not enough, the most complex patterns are, apparently, the easiest to break, warned a study published in early 2017 and carried out by researchers from Lancaster University and Bat University (United Kingdom) and the Northwest University (China).
Many prefer the unlock pattern as a security measure to the PIN code or password. In fact, the unlock pattern is the method used by around 40% of Android device owners.
If the pattern drawn on the dotted grid matches the one set, the device is unlocked and can be used. And we only have 5 attempts.
Experts have shown that in a matter of seconds, it is possible through an algorithm, to find the correct pattern. For example, the attacker, who pretends to be looking at their phone, can use the software to quickly track the movements of the owner’s fingertip using video software that, in a matter of seconds, interprets the algorithm and produces a small number of Candidate patterns for accessing the Android phone or tablet.
The attack works even without you actually seeing the screen content and regardless of the screen size. Results are accurate up to 2.5 meters away. It also works reliably with images recorded on a digital SLR (or DSLR) camera at distances up to 30 feet away.
The researchers evaluated the attack using 120 unique patterns collected from independent users. They were able to break more than 95% of the patterns in just 5 attempts. Complex patterns, which use more lines between dots, were easier to break because they help the algorithm narrow down the possible options.
During the tests, the researchers were able to break all but one of the patterns classified as complex on the first attempt . In fact, on the first attempt they were able to successfully unlock 87.5% of the semi-complex patterns and 60% or the simple patterns with the first attempt.
“The pattern unlock is a very popular protection method for Android devices. In addition to locking their devices, people tend to use complex patterns for important financial transactions such as online banking and shopping because they believe that it is a secure system. However , our results suggest that using pattern blocking to protect sensitive information could actually be very risky, “explains Zheng Wang, co-author of the paper.
How to protect yourself
What countermeasures could we use to protect ourselves? These are suggested by the experts:
– Completely cover the vision of the fingers when drawing the pattern.
– Mix pattern unlock with another security method.
– Set screen color and brightness change dynamically to confuse the recording camera.
