Security continues to be among the top concerns of the
information age thanks to creative hackers who are always finding new ways to break into systems. In response, security
experts are aggressively pursuing an extensive
list of new measures, including using biometric information to log in to accounts. The use of such information
would eliminate the need for usernames
and passwords that can be easily hacked.
If all works out well for German researchers, logging in to your computer with
your head and a sound file may not be far off.
The biometric security protocols we have seen thus far
rely on things such as fingerprints and iris scans. Now, researchers at the
University of Stuttgart, Saarland University and the Max Planck Institute for
Informatics are working on a new way to take advantage of the architecture of
the human skull for biometric identification. They have modified a Google Glass
device capable of identifying minute structural differences that enable
software to tell the difference between human
beings.
Researchers explain that the shape, size and other
features of the human skull are different from one person to the next. So
unique are we in this regard that sound resonates within the skull in a way
that is distinct in every person. The
German system takes advantage of this by playing a sound through a headset that
is then measured according to how it
resonates in the skull. Resonance data can then be stored and compared at a
later time. So far, the researchers say their system works with an accuracy of
about 97% which is good but, of course, needs to be honed before it is feasible
to use on a commercial basis.
Blurring the Lines of Integration
Should the German researchers manage to bring their
project to commercial fruition, it will change basic computing and networking
forever. Gone will be the days of remembering passwords that have to be changed
every 4 to 6 months for security purposes. Access to networks will be granted to specific
people, and those people only, based on unique markers present in their
biometric information.
What we are now witnessing is a blurring of the line
between human and machine. As so many science fiction films have predicted in
the past, we could be moving ever-closer to that time when humans and computers
are so tightly integrated that
identifying any line between them is nigh on impossible.
As for the German system, dubbed ‘SkullConduct’, there really are no practical limits once it is perfected and made marketable. Any function
for which traditional usernames and passwords are
used can easily be adapted to the
new biometric solution. It can be used locally, in the cloud, across
international networks and so on.
What will they think of next? No one knows, but logging into your computer using your head and a
resonating sound wave is certainly intriguing. The only thing the rest of us
ask is that the chosen sound be somewhat
pleasant. No loud sirens, shrieks, bells, or whistles, please!
Source: International Business Times -- http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sound-your-skull-might-be-your-next-password-1556482
Good blog
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