"Heat From Fingertips Can be Used to Crack Passwords, Researchers Find"

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have recently discovered that heat-detecting cameras can help crack passwords up to a minute after typing them.  The researchers noted that when thermal images were combined with the help of artificial intelligence, informed guesses of what the password could be were able to be made.  Some 86% of passwords were cracked when thermal images were taken within 20 seconds of typing in the secret code and put through their ThermoSecure system, and 76% when within 30 seconds.  Success dropped to 62% after 60 seconds of entry.  The researchers also found that within 20 seconds, the system was capable of successfully attacking even long passwords of 16 characters, with a rate of up to 67% correct attempts.  As passwords grew shorter, success rates increased.  Twelve-symbol passwords were guessed up to 82% of the time, eight-symbol passwords up to 93% of the time, and six-symbol passwords were successful in 100% of attempts.

Evening Standard reports: "Heat From Fingertips Can be Used to Crack Passwords, Researchers Find"