4 ms·

Firm uses typing cadence to finger unauthorized users

14 points by alexandros 17y ago

adg001 17y ago
dup: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136810 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136810
Terretta 17y ago
In the early 80's, Michael Crichton published a discussion and example of a keystroke intervalometer to verify identity. The method was sufficiently accurate that when a full pass phrase was used, loose matching could still distinguish the original typist from others who knew the phrase. The breathless http://www.physorg.com/news67710818.html http://www.physorg.com/news67710818.html raves about the "inventors" behind a patent granted 16 years ago for the concept, well after Crichton's idea and working example was published. More recently, http://jdadesign.net/safelock/ http://jdadesign.net/safelock/ was named SMU's 2009 "best implementation", perhaps for also including pressure and hold time.
jrockway 17y ago
"Firm users typing cadence to punish people that pay for their service." Sounds like a plan. If you're trying to go out of business, that is...
mortenjorck 17y ago
I would think the variance between text entry methods could cause a problem with this for users going between different machines. Typing on a desktop keyboard, versus typing on a netbook keyboard, versus typing on an iPhone keyboard are far from the same experience. Even typing on a short-travel dome switch keyboard versus a scissor switch or buckling spring keyboard could probably change cadence for a lot of people. That said, if a user's cadence "scales" at all (at least for home-row applications, probably not for thumb keyboards) it shouldn't be hard to find the patterns there.
- wanderr 17y ago
  I also wonder about effects on cadence caused by interruprions or general distractions, let alone what happens to my typing if I try to type while eating. Is it really reasonable to expect a users undivided attention just so they can log in to your stupid database?

4 ms·

Firm uses typing cadence to finger unauthorized users

14 points by alexandros 17y ago

adg001 17y ago
dup: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136810 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1136810
Terretta 17y ago
In the early 80's, Michael Crichton published a discussion and example of a keystroke intervalometer to verify identity. The method was sufficiently accurate that when a full pass phrase was used, loose matching could still distinguish the original typist from others who knew the phrase. The breathless http://www.physorg.com/news67710818.html http://www.physorg.com/news67710818.html raves about the "inventors" behind a patent granted 16 years ago for the concept, well after Crichton's idea and working example was published. More recently, http://jdadesign.net/safelock/ http://jdadesign.net/safelock/ was named SMU's 2009 "best implementation", perhaps for also including pressure and hold time.
jrockway 17y ago
"Firm users typing cadence to punish people that pay for their service." Sounds like a plan. If you're trying to go out of business, that is...
mortenjorck 17y ago
I would think the variance between text entry methods could cause a problem with this for users going between different machines. Typing on a desktop keyboard, versus typing on a netbook keyboard, versus typing on an iPhone keyboard are far from the same experience. Even typing on a short-travel dome switch keyboard versus a scissor switch or buckling spring keyboard could probably change cadence for a lot of people. That said, if a user's cadence "scales" at all (at least for home-row applications, probably not for thumb keyboards) it shouldn't be hard to find the patterns there.
- wanderr 17y ago
  I also wonder about effects on cadence caused by interruprions or general distractions, let alone what happens to my typing if I try to type while eating. Is it really reasonable to expect a users undivided attention just so they can log in to your stupid database?