According to researchers from the Technological Institute of new Jersey, the owners of smartphones that use knock code (Knock Code) to unlock, can easily become victims of criminals.
Knock-codes allow users to choose templates to press on the lock screen. In 2014, this unlock method popularized by LG. Currently only in the US they use about 700 thousand people, to which must be added a million users have downloaded the app clones for Android devices worldwide.
Knock codes are usually user grid 2 x 2, which you must tap with your finger in the correct sequence to unlock the phone. As a rule, you need to make from six to ten taps.
During the research, with the participation of 351 volunteer scientists found that 65% of them started “knocking” in the top left corner, then usually moving on to the next corner. Apparently, this pattern should be attributed to the habit of reading from left to right. The three most popular knock-code is shown in the figure above. They also found that increasing the mesh size does not help. Instead, users preferred to choose shorter codes.
The study showed that knock-codes are difficult to remember. Approximately every tenth participant forgot their code to the end of the study, although it lasted only five minutes. In addition, enter this code to unlock the display took an average of 5 seconds compared with the PIN code, which usually takes 4.5 seconds and enter the pattern, requiring only 3 seconds.
According to researchers, developers need to create a function that will block the “light” codes and encourage users to choose more reliable.
Source — TechXplore