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International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security

FC 2013: Financial Cryptography and Data Security pp 1–16Cite as

I Think, Therefore I Am: Usability and Security of Authentication Using Brainwaves

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Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNSC,volume 7862)

Abstract

With the embedding of EEG (electro-encephalography) sensors in wireless headsets and other consumer electronics, authenticating users based on their brainwave signals has become a realistic possibility. We undertake an experimental study of the usability and performance of user authentication using consumer-grade EEG sensor technology. By choosing custom tasks and custom acceptance thresholds for each subject, we can achieve 99% authentication accuracy using single-channel EEG signals, which is on par with previous research employing multi-channel EEG signals using clinical-grade devices. In addition to the usability improvement offered by the single-channel dry-contact EEG sensor, we also study the usability of different classes of mental tasks. We find that subjects have little difficulty recalling chosen “pass-thoughts” (e.g., their previously selected song to sing in their mind). They also have different preferences for tasks based on the perceived difficulty and enjoyability of the tasks. These results can inform the design of authentication systems that guide users in choosing tasks that are both usable and secure.

Keywords

  • pass-thoughts
  • EEG
  • authentication
  • usability

This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under award CCF-0424422 (TRUST).

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  • DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-41320-9_1
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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information, UC Berkeley, USA

    John Chuang

  2. Department of EECS, UC Berkeley, USA

    Hamilton Nguyen & Charles Wang

  3. Department of Mathematics, UC Berkeley, USA

    Benjamin Johnson

Authors
  1. John Chuang
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  2. Hamilton Nguyen
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  3. Charles Wang
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  4. Benjamin Johnson
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Business Information Ethics, Meiji University, Kanda Surugadai 1-1, 101-8301, Tokyo, Japan

    Andrew A. Adams

  2. Distributed Computing and Security Group, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Schloßwender Straße 5, 30159, Hanover, Germany

    Michael Brenner & Matthew Smith & 

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Chuang, J., Nguyen, H., Wang, C., Johnson, B. (2013). I Think, Therefore I Am: Usability and Security of Authentication Using Brainwaves. In: Adams, A.A., Brenner, M., Smith, M. (eds) Financial Cryptography and Data Security. FC 2013. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7862. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41320-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41320-9_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-41319-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-41320-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)