Tactile Passwords vs Shoulder Surfing

holy_calamity writes "Entering passwords using a tactile interface would remove two of the main vulnerabilities of using keyboards and alphanumeric passwords say UK researchers. They're using sequences of tactile icons on a VTPlayer tactile mouse instead. Shapes are displayed using the 16-pin tactile displays under the user's fore and middle fingers. As well as being almost impossible for anyone else to observe, tactile passwords can't be guessable in the same way as many conventional ones, they say. A video shows it all in action." Not that the video really helps explain it very well.

Comments

How could the video explain it?

[badfish99]

No wonder that the video does not help to explain it very well. TFA says "it is almost impossible for anyone else to observe"

Shoulder surfing?

[AnimeDTA]

Being bored at work, I took up using the Dvorak keyboard layout. My passwords however retain the same unconcious keyboard patterns as they did on a standard keyboard. Without even thinking of what my password is I can type it. For a while I didn't even know my own passwords were... this proved to be a problem when i had to check email and wasn't at my computer. But it definately ends the shoulder surfing for passwords.

I ended up typing my passwords a few times in notepad and memorized the gibberish that is my password now. Other than that I'd have to be trying to know what my fingers are pressing when i go into password mode.