Using theme-based narrative construct of images as passwords: Implementation and assessment of remembered sequences

With many online engineering platforms such as virtual and remote laboratories designed for young or aged users, user authentication and passwords-based methods are being re-evaluated for tracking usage patterns and security. For ICT-enabled online engineering platforms, image-based humancentric approaches are gaining relevance for access frameworks. With the rubber- hose attacks, increased senior users, many existing systems are vulnerable to many attacks. This paper employs human uniqueness of narrative skills on an image-based password system for online platforms with focus on theme in the password generation process. To generate the secret password, a specially designed computer game was used. We used narrative constructs composed of cartoon image sequences to generate user-speci!c secret key. The durability of generated passwords and the authentication process while assessing the reconstruction process by a potential hacker was verified. For validating use of coerced attacks, under imposed psychological duress, users failed retrieving the password sequence suggesting the reliability as an anti-coercive attack cybersecurity tool. A set of experiments were used to analyze user behavior behind the image-based password system. EEG measurements demonstrated increased activity of " rhythms in F3 and FC5 channel bins and augmented levels of α rhythms in F3 and O1 channels, suggesting users added personalization to authentication more than in alpha-numeric password-based logins.