Usable Security Authentication For Online Transactions
Internship at IBM Research Lab, New Delhi

Authentication techniques for mobile applications in developing regions have largely been adapted from those used in developed countries. While there has been significant research done on such techniques in the developed world, not much attention has been paid to users in developing regions.

The project considered authentication mechanisms that rely on shared information possessed by members of a social network. A 5 month long two–stage field study involving 174 subjects investigated how ties within close–knit social structures in developing regions could be leveraged to provide an authentication mechanism for mobile phones users.