Biometric technologies improve, offering greater reliability

traits and recognizing approved users. In recent years, much research has been focused on improving established technologies rather than creating entirely new ones.

Take, for example, the fingerprint reader. Some computer makers such as Lenovo built fingerprint readers into their laptops to authenticate users. Other device makers provide fingerprint readers in keyboards. These devices are only as good as the owner’s ability to keep the keyboard tethered to the box.

Fujitsu has made a niche out of its proprietary palm print readers and mice with embedded palm print readers. Other device makers offer fingerprint readers that connect to a computer via USB connection. In all cases, the user must already be established in an encrypted database that matches the scan results.

Less popular modes
Germain writes that biometric expertise has not developed as rapidly for other physical characteristics, such as voice, iris, and facial recognition technology. Even as microphones and digital cameras become standard equipment on notebooks and netbooks, voice or facial recognition devices are few and far between.

That type of recognition is much more subjected to harsh image and noise variations in the surrounding environment. For example, a legitimate user may be denied access if he or she tried to use a voiceprint security gateway in a noisy room. Similarly, a facial recognition program could conceivably register a false negative if the user got a haircut and shaved his beard — or a false positive if an unauthorized user simply bears an extremely strong resemblance to a legit one. These limitations may be holding these biometric technologies back — biometric devices need to identify the right user, not just a user that appears to be right. “We will still see new technology, but by comparison, these will be very few,” David Ting, CTO of security firm Imprivata, told TechNewsWorld.

Two flavors
Biometrics is developing along two lines: physical, which is often more intrusive for the user, and behavioral, which is usually less intrusive. Fingerprint readers are an example of a physical approach. The type of multi-layer responses to personal questions beyond the initial password prompt that users encounter when doing online banking transactions represent the behavioral approach. Similarly, biometric products built into security systems can capture the typing cadence of approved users, reading not just what they typed, but how they typed it.

The quality delivered today by both physical and behavioral biometric security is generally higher than earlier versions. Organizations that require