Microsoft goes in-depth on Windows 8's picture passwords
updated 04:10 pm EST, Fri December 16, 2011
Microsoft details picture password in Windows 8
Microsoft on Friday revealed details on the picture password log-in that will be native in Windows 8 thanks to its touchscreen funcitonality. The log-in process is made up of two steps, which include choosing a photo of your own rather than selecting from a bunch chosen by Microsoft. Users then need to trace a pattern on the touchscreen that will unlock their PCs.
Microsoft also remembers the 'directionality' of a gesture rather than just the shape. This takes into account the direction of the gesture along with the start and end points of the circles and lines users drew. The company's research revealed that limiting the amount of available gestures was over three times faster on average than a freeform method, at four seconds versus about 17. It decided to only allow tapping and tracing a line or circle.
Wrong gestures will always deny a login, but there is an amount of acceptable difference between how close to the original imprint users get.
Incorrectly attempting to enter the password five times locks out the PC until users log in with their plain text backup. Picture login cannot be used in remote and network scenarios. Domain administrators also get the choice of allowing PCs in their network to allow picture password logins.
