Passwordless Ultrasonic Auth

AudioQR Receiver
Mobile Secret-Token Generator

Inspiration

In situations where there is no availability of wifi or cellular network, we have come up with a new technique of data transfer that has been in presence for quite a long time.

It provides much utility to people who are disabled and cannot operate at a fast pace. Also, it limits human intervention while authentication is under progress, thereby enhancing the authentication experience.

What it does

It uses ultrasonic sound generated from any device that has a speaker and a microphone. A device seeking authentication starts the process by sending a request message to a mobile device having a token or an OTP. When the mobile device receives the request, it sends the generated private key or the OTP to the requesting device. The requesting device upon receiving the token authenticates using an authentication service and thereby, it provides the needed authentication. All of this is done through the use of ULTRASONIC SOUND WAVES.

How I built it

We used the QuietJS library which is an audio QR implementation for web browsers. The audio QR feature was enabled in the Second Factor authentication page using the QuietJS library. We created a separate wireframe for the Android mobile device to imitate the token generating service enabled with the QuietJS implementation.

Challenges I ran into

1) Synchronising events while sending and receiving transmission of ultrasonic signals. 2) Near field proximity between the devices had to be maintained in order to keep the connection alive.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

1) End-to-end implementation of Mobile and Web app for the User interface. 2) Burnt the midnight oil to hack our way through the night.

What I learned

1) Learnt the message passing between 2 electronic devices through unconventional ways (Ultrasonics). 2) Team collaboration . 3) Open source rocks! (libquiet, a library for sending and receiving data via sound card)

What's next for Passwordless Ultrasonic Auth

1) Enable next level of 2-way communication using Audio QR , the technology that uses sound to pair your device with another nearby device. We can make secure payments without exchanging any personal information.Audio QR works on almost every smartphone. All you need is a smartphone with a speaker and a microphone