I believe this article is still very relevant. After reading Bruce Schneier's article, one of the things I took away was his comment regarding the inherent lack of security created by implementers of tamper resistant methodologies, such as smart cards, and biometric technologies. If these systems fail, we want to make sure that we can still access the resource which is being protected, so we tend to build insecure systems in place to bypass the tamper resistant security. In the end, things like biometrics and smart cards seem to be built more for convenience, instead of security. A similar affect is pointed out in the article when users give their access tokens to others so they can do their work. As long as the human element has control in the implementation of security, the risk of failure will always be there, no matter how great the security method is.
The article was written by Bruce and published on CNN this month. It discusses the fact that almost everything we do can be and is monitored by someone, and eventually is subject to Government purvue. He shows how several key people who have been found their way into law enforcement pathways have taken many precautions, but all eventually were caught by other means which were correlated together to form the big picture.
Phil,
I have to say after reading this I am glad I still have a flip phone with no smart technology on it. I have read were your smart phones embed the lat/long into pictures if that function is turned on and that data can be retrieved from facebook if you have the right software. It just goes to show that what we see on TV has an impact on what we have in real life.
Lee
This article does mention balancing some weaknesses of biometrics. The one weakness that is common right now among these systems is the use of usernames and passwords to form a secondary means of accessing the system once the biometrics no longer work. With the implementation of multi-modal systems, this could be resolved. The article also discusses international based systems, which could be difficult, personal information is a source of contention between many countries. Where is the information stored, and what laws become enforceable depending on the users point of presence?
Interesting article thank you for posting it. As Phil and the article mentioned where is this information stored. The security of this information is deeply concenring. Not that I am a conspiracy theorist but I really do not want my biometric information to be stored on some database. I remember when my daughter was young there was a push to have your child's DNA sample taken and stored in case it was ever needed in the event the child was kidnapped or lost. After thinking about it back then I just did not see how the government having her DNA sample was a good thing. Of course if she ever comitted a crime I would like to think that I would want her punished for the crime but being a parent I also know that I would do anything to protect her, so why would I give the government a readily available DNA sample for them to identify her with. In the event a sample was needed because of some terrible event happening to her one could be provided through other methods. Just my thoughts.
I just posted up an article on fooling biometric fingerprint scanners, Facial scanners can be fooled with photos
http://thehackernews.com/2011/11/android-facial-recognition-based.html
The Danger is that while one can get a new password or smart card if the old is compromised, You only have one face, two eyes and 10 fingers to use for ID and can't get new ones when someone figures out how to comprimise them.
Thanks for the posting especially since my project deals with Ambient Intelligence wherein biometrics can be an integral part of its implementation. One of the most common and frequent incidents in Service Management is authentication. Whether it is with entering secure facilities or logging into computer systems both in the office and remotely, people tend to forget their credentials. Consequently, this causes a loss in productivity as someone tries to regain their access to systems or for system administrators to provide them with temporary access. Ambient intelligence and biometrics may seem as a viable solution since the physical characteristics is intrinsic in each individual. This presentation presents me with the cybersecurity flaws and weaknesses that should be mitigated.
Biometrics is always something I have found to be fascinating. Because like this article stated no one knows who you are on the other end of that computer so being able to authenticate that in some sort of method is a great thing
I searched this group first and did not see that anyone has reported this yet, but it produced (expecting 2014) could link us even more than we are now.
I saw this commercial a few months ago and was fascinated that this was possible. I was also concerned where they show a person walking into a store and the store sensors recognized them. This seems to be going a little too far for me. I know its long but enjoy.
Lee
The author of this article presents the anticipated growth of gesture control technology. It is already used in Smart phones; however, the author presented information about the expansion of this technology to laptop and personal computers. The author presented how this technology has developed presenting that the beginning formation of this technology has been seen in gaming systems that allow the user to use their body movements to control their avatar. Australian researchers are developing similar technology to be used to control the television.
Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) demonstrated the possibility of the intuitive home at its Future of Technology Pavilion at the CEDIA EXPO 2012.