Beyond gaze points: augmenting eye movement with brainwave data for multimodal user authentication in extended reality

Abstract Extended Reality (XR) technologies are becoming integral to daily life. However, password-based authentication in XR disrupts immersion due to poor usability, as entering credentials with XR controllers is cumbersome and error-prone. This leads users to choose weaker passwords, compromising security. To improve both usability and security, we introduce a multimodal biometric authentication system that combines eye movements and brainwave patterns using consumer-grade sensors that can be integrated into XR devices. Our prototype, developed and evaluated with 30 participants, achieves an Equal Error Rate (EER) of 0.298%, outperforming eye movement (1.820%) and brainwave (4.920%) modalities alone, as well as state-of-the-art biometric alternatives (EERs between 2.5% and 7%). Furthermore, this system enables seamless authentication through visual stimuli without complex interaction.