COMPUTER scientists in the North-East have developed a new means of improving password security for handheld devices such as iPhones and the Blackberry, which is predicted to attract worldwide attention.

The software, which uses pictures instead of letters and numbers, has been developed at Newcastle University initially for handheld devices, but could soon be expanded to other areas.

Researchers want to examine the system's potential for helping people with language difficulties, such as dyslexia.

Dr Jeff Yan developed the system alongside PhD student Paul Dunphy, building on the emerging Draw a Secret (DAS) technology, where users draw their secret password as a free-form image on a grid, to create the Background Draw a Secret (BDAS) system.

BDAS encourages people to draw more complicated images, using less symmetrical patterns, making them harder for automated hackers to guess.

Initial tests of the system have indicated that the BDAS system is about 1,000 times more secure than conventional passwords.

Dr Yan said: "Many people find it difficult to remember a password, so choose words that are easy to remember and are, therefore, more susceptible to hackers.

"In essence, this is a very simple idea as it is intuitive. It may take longer to create the password initially, but it is easier to remember and more secure as a result.

"Most of us have forgotten a pin number or a password at least once, which is why we tend to make them so easy to guess.

"However, the human mind has a much greater capacity for remembering images, and it is certainly true that a picture is worth a thousand words in this instance."

A recent study carried out at Newcastle University asked testers to choose a background from a selection of five images -stars, map detail, playing card, crowd and flower -and create their secret password. A week later, 95 per cent of BDAS users were able to recreate their password within three attempts.

Dr Yan said: "The recalled BDAS passwords were, on average, more complicated than their DAS counterparts by more than ten bits.

"This means that the memorable BDAS passwords improved security by a factor of more than 1,024. They were also more secure than current textual passwords by an even larger factor."

Dr Yan has received a £66,000 grant from Microsoft Research to support his research.