Posts Tagged ‘Biometrics’

Can myris make passwords obsolete?

January 8, 2014

I am waiting for the day when my various devices know –  without any doubt – that it is I who am using that device. But just identifying the user of a device is not enough. User Id’s, passwords and pincodes are what I would like should become obsolete. That will be when I, myself, am my own identification, not only for my devices but also for any sites or accounts that I access through such devices. When I, myself, rather than a piece of paper, or a password can identify myself then even a passport becomes obsolete. It seems almost a tautology that  identity and identification of an individual should be inherent in the individual. But while it may seem obvious, it is easier said than done.

But there are 2 parts to every identification. First comes the unique characteristisation of an individual and second the necessity to have a fast data-base storing these characteristics of all individuals to be identified. “Identification” is not needed with people we know – for then identification consists of a memory in one brain and in the inherent characteristics exhibited by the “known” individual.

Myris is a step along this path. It is a USB enabled iris identity authenticator which could eliminate the need for Usernames or Passwords.

  • myris uses video, not still pictures, to get an image of your eyes. At 20 frames per second, it doesn’t take long to get a clear picture and verify your ID.
  • myris looks at more than 240 points on each iris and generates a unique 2048-bit digital signature. But to authenticate your ID, it needs to match up with your eyes—photos, video recordings or other fakes won’t work.
  • Every iris is different. Checking one gives a 1-in-1.5 million chance of a false ID. But myris checks both irises—reducing the odds to just one in 2.25 trillion.

False Acceptance Rate

Wall Street Journal:

Myris-Unique

VOXX Electronics and EyeLock Inc. Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver Game Changing Iris Identity Authentication to Consumer and Enterprise Markets

VOXX Electronics Corp (VEC), a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of VOXX International Corp. (NASDAQ: VOXX), and EyeLock Inc., a market leader of iris-based identity authentication solutions, today announced a strategic partnership to deliver myris(TM), a USB-enabled iris identity authenticator that offers the most convenient and secure way to authenticate your digital identity.

Iris authentication has been available to corporations and enterprises for years, but no platform has been simple enough for consumers to use in everyday situations. myris changes all that with its patented iris authentication technology from Eyelock. myris works by converting an individual’s iris patterns to a code unique only to that person, then matches that code to your eyes to grant access to the devices and digital platforms.

“Fraud and identity theft cost businesses and consumers millions every year. Companies large and small have struggled to provide a level of security that protects against this,” said Tom Malone, President of VOXX Electronics Corp. “With myris, any business regardless of size can protect itself from fraud and any consumer can protect the thing that is most important, their personal information and their identity.”

myris uses EyeLock’s proven video based iris authentication technology, providing an unprecedented level of security. It’s simple to use–myris simply plugs into any USB compatible device and provides security for up to five users in mere seconds. myris is compatible with Windows 7 and 8, Mac OS and Chrome OS. Whether in the workplace, at home or on the road, users will have peace of mind knowing access to their digital worlds is secure.

When will my computer know who I am?

September 18, 2012

Passwords, Userid’s and 4-digit codes are the bane of my life and I am still waiting for the computer which knows – uniquely and reliably  – whenever I happen to be using it. I am probably very average when I find that I have twelve different passwords, five different Userid’s and eight 4-digit codes that I use regularly and which – so far – I generally manage to keep separate in my memory. As I get older I expect I shall have increasing difficulty in remembering and keeping track of these. I find that – already – I sometimes refrain from taking on new commitments, buying new on-line services, joining new groups or registering at new sites if I need to find yet another password to be remembered. The need for defining and remembering new passwords is now – in fact – limiting the extent to which I use the on-line world.

New models of computers, tablets and smart phones are released – it seems – every other day. For at least the last 10 years the possibility of personal identification of the user by the device has promised much but has not yet delivered. I look forward to each release eagerly only to be disappointed each time.  Each new device has new features. It can do more, remember more, is faster or more “intelligent” or has a larger memory but none has the capability to know – for sure –  who I am.

One of these days I will be able to switch on my device (computer, phone whatever) and it will know that it is “I” – and nobody else – who is operating the device and I will need no further passwords or pin-codes to access any connection or my account at any site through that particular device. That’s the dream.

In the meantime the search goes on but I am not sure that this aspect of “customer-friendliness” is very high up on the priority list. But it should be. I foresee a new explosion in on-line usage when a secure method of personal identification becomes available. PC manufacturers have been trying to use fingerprint recognition for some time, Intel is working on palm recognition and Apple is working on face recognition. Keystroke authentication, retina prints and other biometric or behavioural patterns have also been suggested. But before my dream is realised, the manufacturers have to hone in on a few methods which have then to be exhaustively tested before being widely accepted. New international standards will have to be agreed and  established before the banks and insurance  and credit card companies accept the identification method as being sufficiently secure.

It remains a dream – but passwords have to become obsolete sometime and I do hope it happens within the next two years.

Voice print technology led to arrests of alleged terrorists in Europe

October 8, 2010

Officials who apparently thwarted an alleged terror plot against Europe used voiceprinting technology to catch several suspects.

 

By the time you are 18 you have a unique voice print:derlinguist.com

 

The British Government Communications Headquarters used voice identification technology to help uncover the plot according to a report in the Canadian Press. Several of the voices were recorded along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Police in southern France on Tuesday arrested 12 suspects in sweeps against suspected Islamic militant networks, including three men linked to a network recruiting fighters for Afghanistan.

In one of the cases, nine suspected Islamic militants were detained in southeastern Marseille and its suburbs, and authorities turned up at least one automatic rifle and a pump gun, the officials said.

In Tuesday’s other roundup, two men were arrested in Marseille and another in southwestern Bordeaux on suspected ties to a Frenchman arrested in Naples, Italy, last month accused of links to an Afghan recruiting ring.

Officials in Germany were tightlipped Tuesday on details of a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan’s rugged mountain border area where Pakistani officials said eight German militants were killed.

U.S. officials believe a cell of Germans and Britons was at the heart of the Europe terror plot. Germany’s ARD public television cited unidentified sources Tuesday as saying four of the Germans killed in the missile attack were of Turkish descent.

Developers of voice biometric technology say it can be more useful than traditional fingerprint analysis in fighting terror. The private sector has already embraced the technology, with U.S. probation officers using it to monitor offenders, and Canadian call centres using it to identify customers. Israel’s largest bank, Bank Leumi, says it has been using voice biometrics for the past decade to deter fraud and boost customer safety.

U.S. and British intelligence run an international eavesdropping program that gathers huge amounts of information. So big is the overload that the National Security Agency is building a massive storage centre in Utah to handle the mountains of data.

Almog Aley-Raz, whose Israel-based company PerSay Ltd. supplies governments and businesses around the world, said that using voice biometrics could allow officials to scan a large number of phone conversations for a several suspects’ voices, greatly streamlining intelligence work.

“An entry-level server enables you to run 100 streams of audio against maybe 100 voiceprints,” he said, noting that in some cases dozens or even hundreds of servers could be run back-to-back to comb through intercepted calls. Aley-Raz accepted that the technology had its flaws — it is vulnerable to background noise and poor audio quality, for example, and can become confused when people start talking over one another.


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