Fraunhofer Secure Password Manager for iPhones

RMN Digital | March 2, 2012 | Applications, Consumer, Enterprise, Europe, Mobiles, Regions | No Comments

Passwords or PINs are needed for numerous things nowadays, such as EC cards, private mailboxes and connections to networks or resources, which are used for business purposes.

However, the more we have, the more difficult it becomes for us to remember them. The software iMobileSitter manages access data on iPhones and protects it using a method that exasperates hackers: every time a master password is entered, no matter whether it is correct or incorrect, iMobileSitter displays supposed access codes.

Introduced Thursday, March 1, iMobileSitter is now available in the App Store for 4.99 euros, and Fraunhofer SIT will be presenting the software at CeBIT show.

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The software, according to the company, is very easy to use: the access codes can be retrieved by entering the correct master password. However, hackers will have a hard time of it, as iMobileSitter accepts every password that is entered; the storage area is opened whenever a master password is entered and access codes are then displayed.

Each result that is displayed really looks like it could be the right one. For example, if a four-digit PIN has been saved, a combination of digits between 0000 and 9999 will always be displayed, which means hackers will be unable to tell whether their attempt was successful or not.

The fact that the attack was unsuccessful will not become apparent until the hacker tries to use an ATM, and the EC card is withdrawn after three incorrect attempts. The rightful owner, however, knows when they have entered the correct password.

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iMobileSitter utilizes real random numbers for encryption purposes. To generate these, the user simply needs to shake the iPhone with a bit of force. One quick shake and the access data of the iPhone user is safe – which is generally bad news for password thieves.

With iMobileSitter, Fraunhofer SIT has reacted to the growing risk of hacker attacks: conventional password storage systems can often be cracked very quickly nowadays with special tools or cloud services.

For example, hackers or digital key-recovery services can use so-called dictionary attacks to uncover secret passwords and PINs in a matter of minutes. So, iMobileSitter was developed by Fraunhofer SIT. Further information can be found at www.imobilesitter.com or www.sit.fraunhofer.de.