Pattern Lock system is one of the most popular Lock system used to secure millions of Android phones.But can you believe that the phone you think is secured with pattern lock can be cracked within just five attempts?
And if you think you are safe as you have put complicated patterns then rethink as complicated patterns are the easiest to crack.
Pattern lock is more popular than PIN codes or text passwords as they are more lot easier to remember. Nearly 40% of Android owners uses this lock method to secure their smartphones.
If a person has used pattern lock and if he wishes to access a device’s functions and content then the user must first draw a pattern on an on-screen grid of dots and the pattern drawn must match with the pattern set by the owner to use the device.
Android users get only five chances to get the pattern right before the device becomes locked.
According to the new research done by Lancaster University, Northwest University in China, and the University of Bath, it requires just camera phone and simple computer vision algorithm software to crack the pattern lock that too within 5 attempts.
This can be done by first secretly filming the owner when they are drawing their Pattern Lock shape to unlock their device. Then the attacker could use this video to quickly trace the owner’s fingertip movements relative to the position of the device with the help of simple computer vision algorithm software.
Within seconds the algorithm of software produces possible patterns to access the Android smartphone or tablet.
This hack works even when the video is unable to record what is on the screen and independent of the size, operating system of the device.
Accurate results could be achieved when a video is recorded with on a mobile phone from up to two and a half metres away and with a digital SLR camera works reliably at distances up to nine metres away.
120 unique patterns collected from independent users were evaluated and Researchers were able to crack more than 95 per cent of patterns within five attempts.
Complex patterns were easier to crack as they use more dots line hence help the fingertip algorithm to narrow down the possible options.
Researchers were able to successfully crack 87.5% of median complex patterns and 60% of simple patterns with the first attempt.
