Julius Wong,
Thanks.
To all,
From Global Telephony, Mar 99.
Rule of Thumb
Pointing a finger at security
Fingerprint readers are now affordable enough they may soon become add-ons for cellular phones and notebooks, giving users no-questions-asked security.
Grant Evans, vice president of marketing sales for Identicator Technology Inc., says his company is already working with key telecom players, meaning pilot products could be available within 18 months.
For example, Evans says users will flip open a cellular phone, press a thumb on a small panel, and the phone will recognize the authorized user and even know the password for the corporate network.
"Ultimately, all data will be encrypted for storage or transmission. Passwords are of limited value in a real-world environment, and the low cost and high effectiveness of properly deployed fingerprint scanners offers a real solution," says Dataquest analyst Martin Reynolds.
"Fingerprint scanners can provide the authentication component of the triumvirate of key security, encryption and authentication."
Fingerprint readers are already available for home PCs, including Identicator's Biologon device, which allows the use of a fingerprint to log into a personal computer within two-tenths of a second.
Before the technology makes the next leap, however, it will need modification.
Dataquest tested Identicator's equipment and a similar device by Digital Persona. The firm found both could be "fooled" by a latex duplicate fingerprint made from supplies purchased at a hobby store, Reynolds says.
Future technology, according to Identicator and Digital Persona, will make it harder for false fingerprints to work.--Amanda Petrucelli, Associate Editor
internettelephony.com
steve |
