Pressure-based Multi-Factor VR Authentication

Wei Wang

doi:10.1016/j.cose.2026.105197

Pressure-based Multi-Factor VR Authentication

2026-10-02

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DOI：10.1016/j.cose.2026.105197

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As Virtual Reality (VR) technologies evolve, their applications have expanded across diverse domains. However, standard VR authentication typically uses a controller ray to enter a PIN on a fixed-layout digit pad, which is vulnerable to observation attacks such as shoulder surfing. To enhance security without compromising usability, this work proposes a multi-factor, pressure-based authentication method that integrates knowledge, behavioral biometrics, and device possession. During enrollment, a user chooses a 4-digit PIN. For authentication, the user maps each digit to a specific pressure-sensitive gesture according to randomized on-screen cues, completing a sequence of four gestures on the touchscreen of a pre-registered smartphone. Because press intensity is less visually perceptible than ray-based pointing, this cue-guided pressure-sensitive scheme mitigates shoulder surfing and man-in-the-room attacks. In addition, the method leverages a personalized pressing pattern of each individual user to reject credential-aware attackers. The pre-registered smartphone further strengthens security by ensuring a physical possession factor. To develop the personalized pressure-detection model, a pilot study was first conducted to identify the optimal machine learning classifier. Subsequently, two user studies were conducted to evaluate the usability and security. Study 1 demonstrates that our method maintains usability comparable to a benchmark cue-based system, while Study 2 confirms a low attack success rate, highlighting robust resistance to observation and credential-aware attacks.

Keywords:

Multi-factor VR Authentication

Behavioral Biometrics

User Study

Pressure-based Multi-Factor VR Authentication

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