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Steve Riley: Biometrics is identity, not authentication

Mythbusters beat "unbreakable" fingerprint door lock shows how biometric security can be broken, and fairly easily it seems. The point is that biometrics is not authentication, as authentication requires a 'secret' of some kind. Anything you leave behind (such as a fingerprint) can never be secret. I mean, didn't anyone out there watch Gattaca?

I've seen a lot of smallish Notebooks out on the market these days that are touting biometric security. I'd be ok with using my fingerprint as a substitute for my login name, but I think I'll stick with entering a password manually thank you very much.

  Print | posted on Thursday, September 21, 2006 11:14 PM





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# Steve Riley: Biometrics is identity, not authentication

Steve, I was just searching for something else and came across your comments. Yes most of the FP locks out there can be broken and fooled and got round but there are now FP locks that are unbreakable to all intents and purposes. The Mythbusters episode was not a good one as the lock used was not a good one and it was also set on the lowest safety setting. Biometrics in the right hands and with the right equipment and algorithims is rapidly getting to the point where it is virtually faultless. It is the old story though you get what you pay for.
9/29/2006 7:54 AM | David

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Merauderweb is the personal website of a New Zealand based web developer and technologist, covering whatever interests or amuses him. Subjects include online gaming, music, gadgets/technology, ASP.NET, Web Development, JavaScript, jQuery, IBM Lotus Notes/Domino and are presented in a linkblog/tumble style.

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