Android User Chooses Predictable Lock Pattern

Android users who have secured their device with a screen lock often opt for predictable patterns, according to a survey of 3400 users by researcher Marte Loge. In early August she presented her research at the bsides 2015 conference in Las Vegas (video).

The examination of Loge shows that the most commonly used pattern consists of four dots. The average number of spots was five, so that there are fewer than 9,000 combinations. It also appears that people usually start at the top left. 77% of the dot patterns begins in one of the four corners and the patterns usually run from left to right and from top to bottom. It also appears that people often choose patterns in the form of a letter, such as their initials.

According Loge people choose dot patterns in the same way as passwords, which complex patterns are difficult to remember, like complex passwords. And like a weak password is easy to guess a weak lock pattern. "Full disk encryption will not save you if your pattern of the L loser is", warns the researcher.