Researchers have demonstrated a new password authentication technique for use in virtual reality (VR) settings, which allows users to choose directions rather than numbers. The approach supports the same number of possible combinations as a six-digit numeric password, but is much easier for users to remember.

“Passwords are a widely used element of the authentication process, giving users privacy and security,” says Yuxuan Huang, first author of a paper on the work and a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University. “However, people often forget passwords or choose ones that are easy to remember, but less secure.

Immersive VR environments offer another approach, using directions or interactions with the environment in lieu of numbers and letters when entering a password, says Huang. This approach allows users to make use of their environmental context to help remember the password. Our goal was to make use of this approach to develop an authentication process that is memorable, but that also provides users with an efficient login process.