PhyCS 2018 Best Student Paper Award: Exploring the Feasibility and Performance of One-step Three-factor Authentication with Ear-EEG

Multi-factor authentication presents a robust method to secure our private information, but typically requires multiple actions by the user resulting in a high cost to usability and limiting adoption. A usable system should also be unobtrusive and inconspicuous. We present and discuss a system with the potential to engage all three factors of authentication (inherence, knowledge, and possession) in a single step using an earpiece that implements brain-based authentication using electroencephalography (EEG). We demonstrate its potential by collecting EEG data using manufactured custom-fit earpieces with embedded electrodes and testing a variety of authentication scenarios. Across all participants’ best-performing “passthoughts”, we are able to achieve 0% false acceptance and 0.36% false rejection rates, for an overall accuracy of 99.82%, using one earpiece with three electrodes. Furthermore, we find no successful attempts simulating impersonation attacks. We also report on perspectives from our participants. Our results suggest that a relatively inexpensive system using a single electrode-laden earpiece could provide a discreet, convenient, and robust method for one-step multi-factor authentication.