British Researchers Show Off Password Security System

The system is called BDAS (short for Background Draw-a-Secret System) and was developed by Jeff Yan, computer science lecturer from Newcastle University, and Paul Dunphy, graduate student from the same university. The BDAS works on the DAS scheme created by American scientists at NYU, Bell Labs and AT&T Labs, just that it is simpler to use and a whole lot safer. The system works by allowing you to use much more than letters and numbers when setting up a password - you can use drawings or doodles as well - and can be tried out in London, at the Summer Science Exhibition.

Jeff Yan had this to comment: "These days we have passwords and Pins to remember in so many aspects of our lives. And they are all coming under increasing threat from ever-more sophisticated thieves. Studies have shown that people find it easier to remember images than words or numbers and our system has proven over 1,000 times more secure than people's normal passwords." People suffering from dyslexia and those who have problems reading or writing have a lot to win from using the system.

This is how the BDAS works: you get to choose from a variety of pictures and then draw that picture yourself. It does not matter if you are good at drawing or not; it is not about creating a work of art, it is all about setting your unique drawing style as the password. Any imperfections or particularities make that drawing impossible to copy by someone with malicious intent. The BDAS system is user friendly, meaning that your doodles do not have to perfectly match the original one.

The Royal Society has decided to present the system to the general public during the 2008 Summer Science Exhibition which ends on the 3rd of July. If you decide to go, not only will you be able to put the BDSA to a test, but you could also win an iPod Shuffle, a memory stick or a music voucher.