Picture passwords promising, security researcher says

The security of Windows 8 picture passwords might not be as weak as some recent headlines indicate, and there are ways to maximize how hard they are to crack, researchers say.

Unlocking a Windows 8 machine by tapping points, circling objects, and drawing lines over an image on a touchscreen is no less secure than using a four-digit PIN to secure a cell phone’s SIM card, says Sophos researcher Paul Ducklin on the NakedSecurity blog.