A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW AND COMPARISON OF CONTEMPORARY USER AUTHENTICATION METHODS FOR MOBILE DEVICES

Abstract

Over the past few years, the strength development mobile technologies are creating new challenges with regards to mobile authentication methods. Performance, availability and ability of mobile devices to connect to different communication channels have created conditions for applying various forms of the mobile authentication methods. However, from available literature can be concluded that this is research field immature and insufficiently explored in depth respectively that there is no paper which provides a comprehensive overview, classification and comparison of contemporary user authentication methods intended for mobile devices. Therefore, this paper gives a comprehensive overview, classification and comparison of contemporary mobile authentication basad on the key users parameters such as security, usability and privacy. Their advantages and disadvantages are emphasised in detail. On basis of performed comparative analysis of mobile authentication methods several important authentication challenges are identified. One of these is that there is no “the best” template for mobile authentication so far. Also, this paper gives proposal the development a new tool in contemporary user authentication methods intended for mobile devices. Such tool can be used for making “the best” template as wel as for evaluating and designing mobile authentication solutions. Finally, in order to help develop strong mobile authentication, this paper suggests an alternative proposition which would enable the development of strong mobile authentication as an adequate answer for future authentication challenges.