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One-step, three-factor authentication in a single earpiece

Published: 11 September 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Multifactor authentication presents a robust security method, but typically requires multiple steps on the part of the user resulting in a high cost to usability and limiting adoption. Furthermore, a truly usable system must be unobtrusive and inconspicuous. Here, we present a system that provides all three factors of authentication (knowledge, possession, and inherence) in a single step in the form of an earpiece which implements brain-based authentication via custom-fit, in-ear electroencephalography (EEG). We demonstrate its potential by collecting EEG data using manufactured custom-fit earpieces with embedded electrodes. Across 7 participants, we are able to achieve perfect performance, mean 0% false acceptance (FAR) and 0% false rejection rates (FRR), using participants' best performing tasks collected in one session by one earpiece with three electrodes. Our results indicate that a single earpiece with embedded electrodes could provide a discreet, convenient, and robust method for secure one-step, three-factor authentication.

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Cited By

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  • (2024)Cryptographic Algorithm Designed by Extracting Brainwave PatternsMathematics10.3390/math1213197112:13(1971)Online publication date: 25-Jun-2024
  • (2024)Ear-EEG Devices for the Assessment of Brain Activity: A ReviewIEEE Sensors Journal10.1109/JSEN.2024.341566824:20(31606-31623)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
  • (2023)A Review of EEG-Based User Authentication: Trends and Future Research DirectionsIEEE Access10.1109/ACCESS.2023.325302611(22917-22934)Online publication date: 2023
  • Show More Cited By

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    cover image ACM Conferences
    UbiComp '17: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers
    September 2017
    1089 pages
    ISBN:9781450351904
    DOI:10.1145/3123024
    Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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    Publication History

    Published: 11 September 2017

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    Author Tags

    1. multifactor authentication
    2. passthoughts
    3. usable security

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    • Hewlett Foundation

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    UbiComp '17

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    Overall Acceptance Rate 764 of 2,912 submissions, 26%

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    View all
    • (2024)Cryptographic Algorithm Designed by Extracting Brainwave PatternsMathematics10.3390/math1213197112:13(1971)Online publication date: 25-Jun-2024
    • (2024)Ear-EEG Devices for the Assessment of Brain Activity: A ReviewIEEE Sensors Journal10.1109/JSEN.2024.341566824:20(31606-31623)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
    • (2023)A Review of EEG-Based User Authentication: Trends and Future Research DirectionsIEEE Access10.1109/ACCESS.2023.325302611(22917-22934)Online publication date: 2023
    • (2022)Sensing with EarablesProceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies10.1145/35503146:3(1-57)Online publication date: 7-Sep-2022
    • (2021)Distributed utility based User Authentication protocol for multi-server environment with key agreement utility2021 International Conference on Computational Performance Evaluation (ComPE)10.1109/ComPE53109.2021.9751895(415-420)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2021
    • (2019)Life-Affirming Biosensing in PublicProceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3290605.3300910(1-16)Online publication date: 2-May-2019
    • (2018)When BCIs have APIsProceedings of the 2018 Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3196709.3196746(1359-1371)Online publication date: 8-Jun-2018

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