Security Revisited: Honeytokens meet Google Authenticator

Abstract

In contrast to the rapid advancement and evolution of technology, computer systems rely significantly on passwords to maintain their security for an unreasonably long time. Although the introduction of two or more factors improved existing authentication procedures and gave rise to new multi-factor authentication schemes, more advanced and focused assaults have revealed they are also sensitive and ineffective to assure only authorized access to systems. This study suggests a revolutionary two-factor authentication mechanism that uses QR codes and honeytokens. In the current implementation, honeywords and Google authenticator work together. In order to speed up the identification process, the honeywords technique is utilized as a second factor on a different computing device. By using a stronger and more effective authentication mechanism than a single password mechanism or a common two-factor authentication scheme, the novel and straightforward approach presented here intends to add additional layers of security and protection into a system, thereby increasing its security. © 2022 IEEE.