ELI5: What is "Something You Do"?
This is about how you do things — like the way you type or the way you walk. Everyone has their own style, and computers can learn to recognize yours.
Definition
“Something you do” is a behavioral authentication factor that analyzes patterns in how a user performs specific actions, such as their typing rhythm (keystroke dynamics), mouse movement patterns, gait analysis, or signature dynamics. Unlike static biometrics (fingerprint, iris), behavioral biometrics are dynamic and continuous, enabling ongoing authentication throughout a session rather than just at login.
Key Details
- Keystroke dynamics: analyzes the timing between keystrokes and hold duration — highly individualistic
- Gait analysis: using device accelerometers (smartphones) to recognize a user’s walking pattern
- Mouse dynamics: analyzing speed, trajectory, and clicking patterns
- Enables continuous/passive authentication: user identity is continuously verified without active participation
- Less common in standard enterprise MFA implementations; more relevant in fraud detection and high-security applications
Connections
- Parent: mfa — behavioral biometrics represents the “something you do” MFA factor
- See also: something-you-are