A Quick Scan of Biometrics

BY LEE GIMPEL

Forget passwords. Instead, use body measurements to keep intruders away.

There are some very dependable elements in Hollywood spy thrillers. One of them is the ultra-high-security network that requires a fingerprint scan, an iris scan, a voice scan or other such deterrent to would-be intruders.

Such security measures are no longer limited to James Bond films and CIA vaults. In fact, adding an integrated fingerprint reader to a Lenovo Th inkPad laptop costs about $50. While not yet the norm, biometrics—the use of one’s own “body measurements” such as fingerprints as a key—is gaining popularity. If all you know about biometrics is from summer blockbusters, here is some notso-secret info:

Dr. Rick Smith, an assistant professor of computer and information science at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, says there may be a perception that biometrics is impregnable, but that’s not necessarily true. He notes that iris scanners and facial recognition devices can sometimes be fooled by photographs. In a celebrated case-in-point, a researcher quickly defeated a fingerprint reader with little more than a gummy bear.

But new biometrics devices are improving—perhaps requiring that a fingerprint also have a pulse—as well as adding new metrics such as a hand’s vein pattern.

Despite such “MacGyver”-meets-“CSI” hacking methods using chewy candy, many computer break-ins aren’t as creative—nor as sexy as a Hollywood super hacker deploying an armada of computers to defeat a password prompt.

In many cases, getting access simply requires swiping a password that is naïvely taped to the underside of a laptop, or a coworker merely sharing a security badge or password. Victor Lee, a senior consultant with the consulting firm International Biometric Group, says it is downright difficult to lend someone your thumb or iris, thereby giving biometrics an edge over typed passwords.

Biometrics is also a great way to cut down on the dozens of passwords people amass, be it the bank, credit card company, email provider or any number of online storefronts. It’s easy to get flummoxed trying to remember which password goes with which account, and keeping a list in your desk drawer (even in the back) isn’t the best practice, nor is saving them all on your computer.

IBM claims that the No. 1 reason for help desk calls is forgotten passwords. A fingerprint scanner (many retail for $100 to $200, and connect via a standard USB port) can help ease the burden by linking those passwords to your index finger. It’s hard to forget your fingerprint, and, unlike a security badge, you will never leave home without it.