CAPTCHAs were once a solid solution in easily identifying whether or not an entity was a real, living person or some kind of bot. However, that only recreated an arms raise which saw CAPTCHAs get much more difficult to solve over the years, almost (ironically enough) requiring some kind of computer analysis to complete. The security protocol usually comes equipped with an audio option, but not only do those take a while to actually listen to, but they’re often actually quite difficult to decipher. With a typing-free, sliding CAPTCHA, advertising company Minteye aims to make our digital lives a little less obnoxious, while maintaining the high level of security.
Minteye’s slide-to-fit CAPTCHA takes the slide-to-unlock feature from our phones and applies it to the security protocol. Rather than trying to decipher symbols that look like no less than three different letters each, Minteye’s solution takes a graphic and twirls it up. The user must then move a slider, which straightens the graphic. Once the graphic is straight, the CAPTCHA has been passed — much easier than the standard typing CAPTCHAs.
Minteye states that typing CAPTCHAs only have a 76% solve rate and a 1/3 hack rate, though they only state their new sliding system has a 94% conversion rate… without mentioning the hack rate.
Minteye has combined the security protocol with advertising, as each CAPTCHA will actually be an ad, generating revenue for businesses while providing a better authentication experience for users. So, if this system catches on, it could be a boon for sites looking to generate extra revenue, as well as for users that are sick and tired of trying to figure out if something is a “C” or twisty “L.”
When testing the new system, we found that the correct, straightened picture seemed to somewhat snap into place, which could make a hack a little easier to develop. However, the slider didn’t actually snap into place at all, so maybe that’ll protect the system. You can give the slide-to-fit CAPTCHA a test over here.
