Research Methods for Computing and Technology

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

Lecturer

: Dr. Imran Medi

Student Name

: Lim Keng Liang (TP028092)

Module Code

: CT098-3.5-2-RMCT

Module Title

: Research Methods for Computing and

Technology

Assignment Title

: NFC Login Application for Mobile Devices

Intake

: UC2F1404SE

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Research Methods for Computing and Technology

Contents
1.0 Title...................................................................................................................... 3
2.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 3
3.0 Problem Statement............................................................................................... 3
4.0 Research Aims & Objectives.................................................................................6
4.1 Aims.................................................................................................................. 6
4.2 Objectives......................................................................................................... 6
5.0 Research Questions.............................................................................................. 7
5.1 Domain Research.............................................................................................. 7
5.2 Technical Research............................................................................................ 7
6.0 Research Design................................................................................................... 8
6.1 Primary Data Collection..................................................................................... 8
6.2 Secondary Data Collection................................................................................9
6.3 Timeline........................................................................................................... 10
7.0

Personal Reflection.......................................................................................... 11

8.0 References and Bibliography.............................................................................. 12

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1.0 Title
NFC Login Application for Mobile Devices

2.0 Introduction
In this era of technology, it is safe to say that every household and office has a desktop or
personal computer, whether for work or entertainment purposes. A developing country is no
exception of having such devices, which includes cities that are growing tremendously every
year. A household computer has multiple functions, depending on the necessities of the user. A
computer is usually unique to either one or a limited set of owners, meaning only a few select
people can access his/her computer at a given time. Thus, a security system is usually
implemented in each personal computer to ensure safeguard of information and privacy is kept to
a maximum.

3.0 Problem Statement

There are many ways one can secure a personal computer; the most common ones include
manual keyboard input for password. The advanced methods include thumb print scanning,
facial recognition and near-field communication (NFC) using a piece of chip or card
implemented with one. Each ways has its pros and cons; as such a proposed solution is to create
a program that uses near-field communication to login onto a personal computer using a users
personal cellphone with NFC functions.
A study from Ponemon Institute shed some light on the subject on the current state of password
usage among 1900 people, spread across countries such as United States, United Kingdom and
Germany. It turns out that nearly 50% of the people conducting the survey failed to present their
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passwords to execute an online transaction, resulting in authentication failure (Kerner, 2015).
Furthermore, a strong 46% of the respondents stressed that they do not trust websites that rely
only on passwords as a form of login authentication, as said by author Larry Ponemon. As per
quote from Larry Ponemon himself, We think thats a sign that users are using websites without
necessarily trusting them. As some websites require alphanumeric passwords; making them
more complex, it is also common that a user might forget his/her password because of
complexity. Ponemon also said that 69% of the respondents admitted that they have forgotten
their passwords as it was either too long or too complex to remember. Losing passwords can also
lead to one being frustrated and also said to be more annoying than misplacing keys, a mobile
phone battery depleting or getting junk email (Curtis,2014).
In the case of a forgotten password, usually computers or websites offer a password reset system,
but consumers were apparently too lazy or find the process inconvenient, as 54% said it took
too long to reset a password that they basically gave up, (Kerner,2015). If it were to be viewed
from a business perspective, a company might lose a lot of customers due to lack of patience and
customers opting to buy from somewhere else instead. Based on the abovementioned points, it is
safe to say that passwords are virtually the weak link in security as they only have that much to
offer but with too much downside. Lunabee, an innovator of mobile and desktop applications has
also announced results from an online survey, circulating among 100 end users and their insights
on mobile banking and mobile security. According to Olivier Berni, managing director of
Lunabee, about 58% of people who have undergone the survey admitted to forgetting their
passwords frequently and must use system resets on websites to gain access to their accounts.
Only a mere 10% of people said they never forget their passwords, and a staggering number of
52% of people said that they write their passwords down so that they dont lose track of it
(Marketwire, 2015). It has become very clear that passwords are no longer a secure way of
accessing sensitive material online or offline, as per mentioned that they are in many ways
susceptible to many forms of breaching or loss of data.
Keyloggers are a prime example as to why manual input passwords are no longer secure in this
tech-savvy generation. A keylogger is a piece of malicious software that can be installed onto any
personal computer without the users knowledge when they visit a website, read spam email or
installing a program. It is a spyware or malware that records keystrokes a user makes on a
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keyboard (Waller, 2014) Once the keylogger is deployed, it simply lies in wait by collecting
information and transmitting them back to the origin, in this case the hacker. Keyloggers are
easily obtained as they are also legitimate keyloggers used in offices and big companies to keep
track of their workers as to what they are doing at their desk. With that, data can be easily stolen
without consent (Grebennikov,2007) Imagine this happening to a larger scale, where government
secrets can be hacked and leaked onto the internet, marketing strategies of rival companies can
be exploited and most importantly, classified and/or personal information; whether used for
blackmailing or for fun it is unlawful and irresponsible of the hacker.
Hence, a safer and more secure way to access personal information is introduced, known as nearfield communication or NFC in short. A short ranged radio technology that can be triggered by
two NFC-compatible devices; it is more secure and safe because of its transmission range of
around 4 centimeters, hence inherently more secure for transactions (Oracle.com, 2015). It has
little to no set up time, easy to use, fast, and efficient. It allows flow of information between
devices as long as they are within the set distance mentioned above. It is often used in keycards
and other cards with an embedded microchip, such as credit cards. NFC is also available on most
mobile phones, namely the ones that run on an Android operating system, where it can be used to
transfer data from phone to phone with a simple tap on the screen. As such, a system is proposed
to combine both the secure ways of using NFC as a login system and replacing it with the
traditional manual keystrokes on a computer. In this system, a NFC supported mobile phone
doubles as an access card to a personal computer, making it secure and hassle-free, with the users
not needing to memorize passwords and saves time. It is easy to use, as a user is not required to
carry multiple keycards for different functions as it can all be embedded into the mobile phone.
Now this may sound risky at first, but if the phone is password protected or requires a biometric
scan to access (thumbprint scanning is on the new iPhone 6, sooner or later every other
smartphone is assumed to catch up to this technology). Even a simple pattern recognition which
is available in most phones is enough to deter any thief from accessing your credentials on your
phone. Moreover, a GPS enabled smartphone can be recovered and tracked down easily, whereas
lost passwords cannot be traced back if a user loses total access to an account. It also saves space
in your wallet if one is to juggle credit cards and access cards, which can be quite a handful for
the working class (Nearfieldcommunication.org, 2015). NFC is also versatile and can double up

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as many other functions are available and open to NFC, such as paying bills, boarding subways
and many more (Nearfieldcommunicationnfc.net, 2015).

4.0 Research Aims & Objectives

4.1 Aims
The aim of this application is to implement a safe login system with the NFC feature, creating a
secure login mechanism that not only promotes information security but also is simple and user
friendly in order to help reshape computer security.

4.2 Objectives
- To implement a hassle free login system, where users only require an Android Device to access
their personal computer.
- To provide optimal security and safeguard data from unauthorized users
- To be fast and efficient in a professional working environment

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5.0 Research Questions

5.1 Domain Research

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Who are the target users for this application?

Is it user friendly?
Is it easy to implement?
Are there any benefits of using this application?
How often do users require login information?
Is NFC widely agreed upon as a better alternative?
Is NFC a safer alternative?

5.2 Technical Research

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What are the special features of this application?

How is the application helping a users security status?
What are the components needed to build a NFC tag?
How is the application going to transfer information across the hardware?
Is data sent from the application retrievable?
Is there any setup required before using this application?
What type of methodology is to be implemented when developing this application?

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6.0 Research Design
In the research design phase, it is mainly categorized into two main steps, which are primary data
collection and secondary data collection. Primary data collection is the initial data collection,
where the researcher gets to collect data first handedly from the source/subject under question.
Secondary data collection is taken from primary data collection, mainly used for analyzing
primary data.

6.1 Primary Data Collection

a) Interview Method
Interviews are a common research tool often used in one on one data collection method, where
an interviewer (researcher) asks a set of questions directed towards the interviewee (subject). An
interview may vary depending on the type of questions asked, duration of the interview, number
of subjects and amount of data generated and collected. Using this technique, a researcher is able
to gather information on what is on an interviewees mind when it comes to the topic of question
(in this case, NFC Secure Login System). The researcher is able to gather ideas and suggestions
to which can help build and improve the application. In this case, interviews will be gathered
from students at Asia Pacific University and also lecturers teaching Software Engineering. Basic
knowledge for what is to be done is required, thus the need to interview seasoned and
professional lecturers is crucial to make this project a success.

b) Questionnaires
Questionnaires consist of a set of questions which can be given to a group of select respondents
in order to collect specific information. The questions should be concise and easily understood
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by the respondents. Using this technique, a researcher is able to gather information on what
people think of the software and what are the ways to improve it (NFC Secure Login System).
Any feedback and suggestions can be viewed and maybe implemented if it has solid reasoning
and may prove useful for the sustainability of the system. Questionnaires can be given out to
random students or staff members in Asia Pacific University or even individuals outside the
university.

6.2 Secondary Data Collection

a) Case study
Using the case study method, researchers can gather data from related or existing case studies.
This includes journals, conference studies or books in general. This method is useful because it
gives technical knowledge on the research. Hence, the research can be prepared better and any
problems that might occur can be foresighted and dealt with in the early stages of development.

6.3 Timeline

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7.1

Personal Reflection

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Upon completion of the proposal, there are a few limitations that come to mind
of the researcher. The first limitation being that the researcher has no
background knowledge on how NFC works. There will be a lot of research to do if
the researcher is to proceed with the current topic.
Secondly, the topic of choice is more to mobile computing instead of software
engineering. Even though it requires a computer to operate the program, the
mobile programming part is much more crucial in the development of the
system. The researcher should take into careful consideration the accuracy of
the topic.
Finally, the researcher has to have very good knowledge on the topics of mobile
programming language as well as computer programming languages. In the
mobile programming language factor, he/she will face some difficulties as it is
not his scope of study. Thus, plenty of self-study and research is required if the
researcher is to progress with this topic.

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8.0 References and Bibliography
References
Carter, J. and Faulker, C. (2014). What is NFC and why is it in your phone?. [online] TechRadar.
Available at: http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/what-is-nfc-andwhy-is-it-in-your-phone-948410 [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014].
Grebennikov, N. (2007). Keyloggers: How they work and how to detect them (Part 1). [online]
Securelist - English - Global - securelist.com. Available at:
https://securelist.com/analysis/36138/keyloggers-how-they-work-and-how-to-detect-thempart-1/ [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014].
Howley, D. (2014). What Is NFC, and Why Does It Matter for the iPhone 6?. [online]
Yahoo.com. Available at: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/what-is-nfc-and-why-does-it-matterfor-the-iphone-6-96456683964.html [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014].
Waller, G. (2014). Keyloggers: The Most Dangerous Security Risk in Your Enterprise -Enterprise Systems. [online] Esj.com. Available at:
http://esj.com/articles/2012/11/12/keylogger-security-risk.aspx [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014].
Esecurityplanet.com, (2015). Passwords Are Weak Link in Security - eSecurity Planet. [online]
Available at: http://www.esecurityplanet.com/network-security/passwords-are-weak-link-insecurity.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].
Internetnews.com, (2015). How Often Do You Forget Your Password? - InternetNews.. [online]
Available at: http://www.internetnews.com/security/how-often-do-you-forget-yourpassword.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].
Marketwire, (2015). Lunabee Survey Finds that 17 Percent of Internet Users Often Forget Their
Online Passwords, Creating Mandatory Password Reset. [online] Available at:
http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/lunabee-survey-finds-that-17-percent-internetusers-often-forget-their-online-passwords-1850682.htm [Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].
Nearfieldcommunication.org, (2015). Benefits of NFC for Individuals
NearFieldCommunication.org. [online] Available at:
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http://www.nearfieldcommunication.org/benefits.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].
Nearfieldcommunicationnfc.net, (2015). Benefits of Near Field Communication NEARFIELDCOMMUNICATIONNFC.NET. [online] Available at:
http://www.nearfieldcommunicationnfc.net/benefits.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].
Rapidnfc.com, (2015). What is NFC ?. [online] Available at: http://rapidnfc.com/what_is_nfc
[Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].
Rapidnfc.com, (2015). What is NFC ?. [online] Available at: http://rapidnfc.com/what_is_nfc
[Accessed 31 Jan. 2015].

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