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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
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Paper ID:
10.55041/IJSREM.RACCES005
Volume:
10 |
4 |
April 2026
Pages:
1-5
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Bharathiyar Institute of Engineering for Women(Autonomous),Salem, Tamilnadu, India
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Bharathiyar Institute of Engineering for Women(Autonomous),Salem, Tamilnadu, India
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Bharathiyar Institute of Engineering for Women(Autonomous),Salem, Tamilnadu, India
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Bharathiyar Institute of Engineering for Women(Autonomous),Salem, Tamilnadu, India
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Bharathiyar Institute of Engineering for Women(Autonomous),Salem, Tamilnadu, India
With the rapid development of internet technologies and mobile applications, secure authentication mechanisms have become an essential requirement for protecting user information and digital resources. Most systems currently rely on traditional text-based password authentication methods. Although these methods are simple and widely used, they are highly vulnerable to various security threats such as shoulder surfing attacks, brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, and phishing attacks. Users also tend to create short or easy-to-remember passwords, which further reduces the overall security of the system.Shoulder surfing is one of the most common security threats in public environments, where attackers can observe or record the login process to capture the user's password.This risk increases significantly when users access applications through mobile devices or public networks. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a more secure and user-friendly authentication mechanism that can protect user credentials from such observation attacks.This project proposes a robust graphical authentication framework designed to mitigate shoulder surfing risks by using a graphical password system known as Pass Matrix. In this system, users authenticate themselves by selecting specific positions within an image rather than entering a traditional textual password. The system incorporates dynamic login indicators and movable horizontal and vertical bars that allow users to indirectly indicate their password positions. Since the password is not directly selected on the screen, attackers cannot easily identify the actual password even if they observe the authentication process.The proposed system enhances security by introducing randomness in each login session, thereby making it extremely difficult for attackers to analyze or replicate the password. In addition, the system maintains usability by allowing users to easily remember graphical password positions. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that the proposed framework effectively resists shoulder surfing attacks while maintaining high usability and authentication accuracy. Therefore, the proposed graphical authentication system provides a reliable and secure alternative to traditional password-based authentication methods.
KEYWORDS
In this project, a robust graphical authentication framework was developed to enhance user authentication security and reduce the risk of shoulder surfing attacks. Traditional text-based password systems are widely used but they are vulnerable to various security threats such as password guessing, phishing, and observation attacks. Shoulder surfing is one of the most common security risks in public environments where attackers may observe the user while entering their password. To address this problem, the proposed system introduces a graphical password mechanism where users select a sequence of images instead of entering a text-based password. The system also incorporates a randomization mechanism that changes the position of images during each login attempt. This dynamic arrangement prevents attackers from easily identifying the correct password sequence even if they observe the login process . The experimental results show that the graphical authentication framework improves both security and usability. Users can remember graphical passwords more easily than complex alphanumeric passwords, making the authentication process simple and convenient. At the same time, the random image placement and click-point verification techniques significantly reduce the chances of shoulder surfing attacks. Overall, the proposed system provides a secure and user-friendly authentication method for modern digital applications. The framework can be effectively implemented in web systems, banking applications, and other secure platforms where protecting user credentials is essential. By combining graphical passwords with dynamic security mechanisms, the system enhances authentication reliability and helps safeguard sensitive user information.
[1] Sharma, P., & Singh, A., “Secure Graphical Password Authentication System to Prevent Shoulder Surfing Attacks,” International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, 2020. [2] Pandey, P., “Restricting Shoulder Surfing: A Modified Graphical Password Technique,” International Journal of Research in Industrial Engineering, 2020. [3] Lai, J., “A Shoulder-Surfing Resistant Graphical Password Scheme,” AMCIS Proceedings, 2021. [4] Kumar, R., & Gupta, S., “An Enhanced Graphical Password Scheme for Secure User Authentication,” International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 2021. [5] Zhang, Y., Wang, L., & Chen, H., “Improving Graphical Password Security Using Dynamic Image Grids,” IEEE Access, 2021. [6] Patel, D., & Shah, K., “A Secure Graphical Authentication System Using Click Points,” International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology (IJERT), 2022. [7] Sharna, S. A., & Ali, S. A., “Image-Based Password Authentication System,” arXiv / Computer Security Research, 2022. [7] Ahmed, M., & Rahman, S., “Graphical Password Authentication with Enhanced Security Against Shoulder Surfing,” Journal of Information Security and Applications, 2022. [9] Islam, A., Othman, F., & Sakib, N., “Prevention of Shoulder-Surfing Attacks Using Shifting Condition,” Computer Security Research, 2023. [10] Emmanuel, T. M., Suru, S. U., & Shehu, B. T., “Graphical Password Scheme Based on Color Hint Approach,” International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 2024.
Publication Date
5/2/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
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