Biometrics no Guarantee of Data Security

Police are not the only ones taking fingerprints these days. Starting November 1, fingerprint data will even be stored in the passports issued by many countries.

As fingerprints are unique, they have also drawn attention from manufacturers of equipment designed to limit access to computers. After all, pressing your fingertip against a reading device is simpler than learning and inputting a password.

But are fingerprint sensors really secure? The bad news is that practically every fingerprint system currently on the market can be circumvented. "There are many instructions on the internet about how to create fakes," says Christoph Busch from the Fraunhofer Institute for Graphics Data Processing in Darmstadt, Germany.

It's a "relatively simply exercise", he says, to successfully masquerade as another identity in front of the sensors. You just need to get your hands on a fingerprint taken from a glass, CD case, or disc. Together with a bit of technical know-how, an artificial mould can be created using superglue, a digital camera or scanner, image editing software, a negative form, silicon, latex, or wood glue as a base.

Consumers usually run across fingerprint systems in daily life as accessories on laptops, keyboards, or external USB devices. There are now a few cell phone models with this type of sensor too.

Verification occurs when the entire fingertip is laid on the sensor. But there are also systems where the user drags a fingertip across a strip. The first of these options is more intuitive to use but carries the risk that an impression of the fingerprint - known as a latent impression - will remain on the sensor after use.

For this reason, special systems that do not require the finger to be pressed on the sensor are often deployed in high security areas. The systems scan the grooves of the fingerprint either optically, electrically or using electromagnetic fields. As manufacturers of the sensors know that forgeries represent a genuine threat, they also integrate additional sensors for bio detection.

The fact remains, however, that a gossamer-thin dummy glued to the finger is enough to trick the bio-detection. Graphite applied on the dummy can imitate the skin's conductivity, for example. And breathing on the artificial fingertip can temporarily bring it up to body temperature and manufacture some of the body's natural moisture.

New tactics have been implemented to measure things like movements in the fingertip caused by the pulse, says Busch. Another approach does not examine the dead uppermost layer of skin, but rather uses an ultrasound to measure beneath it.

An important point is also to use a finger for the checks that otherwise is rarely used and hence leaves few valuable traces behind - such as a finger on the left hand for right-handers.

A Sneak Peek at Halo 3!

Microsoft unveiled its first party system seller Halo 3 to journalists and gamers alike at the Taj Land’s End Hotel in Mumbai yesterday. Our Delhi counterparts had already had a taste of the action last week.

People all over Mumbai had the chance to come in and try out the game’s single player campaign (the very first level) as well as the multiplayer component for themselves.

The cool part about this event was that it wasn’t for invitees only, so you had tons of ecstatic gamers rubbing shoulders with journalists, all vying to try the game out for themselves. Throw in some drinks to the whole equation and you have one hellova (geeky) partee!

While we can’t talk about the game because of a most aggravating NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) that we signed, I can confidently say that the game’s MP aspect was tons of fun and the game’s looking much better than it did in previous builds. Nikhil would also love to share his thoughts on the game’s single player campaign but like I said, we’re going to have to keep our mouths shut till September 24th.

As of now all we can say is that the game will be launching in India on the 25th of September itself and both the Standard (Rs. 1895) and the Limited (Rs. 2510) editions will be available in stores. Till then you can head over to 360indians.com for more on the game as well the party (pics included) and come back tomorrow which is when we kick off our Halo week here at Tech2.