Now, security system that recognizes how owner taps and swipes a mobile device

Cybersecurity researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new security system that continuously monitors how a user taps and swipes a mobile device.

If the movements don't match the owner's tendencies, the system recognizes the differences and can be programmed to lock the device.

The new system is called LatentGesture and was used during a Georgia Tech lab study using Android devices. The system was nearly 98 percent accurate on a smartphone and 97 percent correct on tablets. The research team will present the findings for the first time at the end of April.

"The system learns a person's 'touch signature,' then constantly compares it to how the current user is interacting with the device," Polo Chau, a Georgia Tech College of Computing assistant professor, who led the study, said.

"Just like your fingerprint, everyone is unique when they use a touchscreen. Some people slide the bar with one quick swipe. Others gradually move it across the screen. Everyone taps the screen with different pressures while checking boxes," Chau said.