Alternative of traditional password systems using enhanced visual cryptography

Abstract

Text-based passwords remain the most prevalent authentication mechanism despite their well-known security limitations. Studies consistently reveal weak password selection, reuse across platforms, and insufficient enforcement of robust security policies. While user education can mitigate some risks, persistent usability issues underscore the need for more intuitive and secure alternatives. Visual cryptography, introduced by Naor and Shamir, enables image-based secret sharing and has been effectively applied in biometric and mobile authentication. Building upon this foundation, this paper proposes a novel graphical password authentication system that integrates enhanced visual cryptography to achieve both security and usability. The proposed scheme mitigates common vulnerabilities of traditional passwords, resists automated and brute–force attacks, and maintains a user-friendly experience. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that the approach offers a practical and robust solution for secure access control in modern digital environments.