Tap-based User Authentication for Smartwatches
This addresses authentication challenges for smartwatch users, offering a secure and usable solution, though it is incremental as it builds on existing tap-based and biometric methods.
The paper tackles user authentication on smartwatches by introducing TapMeIn, an eyes-free, two-factor method where users tap a melody, achieving 98.7% accuracy with a 0.98% false positive rate and an average authentication time of 2 seconds.
This paper presents TapMeIn, an eyes-free, two-factor authentication method for smartwatches. It allows users to tap a memorable melody (tap-password) of their choice anywhere on the touchscreen to unlock their watch. A user is verified based on the tap-password as well as her physiological and behavioral characteristics when tapping. Results from preliminary experiments with 41 participants show that TapMeIn could achieve an accuracy of 98.7% with a False Positive Rate of only 0.98%. In addition, TapMeIn retains its performance in different conditions such as sitting and walking. In terms of speed, TapMeIn has an average authentication time of 2 seconds. A user study with the System Usability Scale (SUS) tool suggests that TapMeIn has a high usability score.