The end of PINS and passwords: The new hi-tech ID scanners that can't be fooled

“This is the single biggest advance in identification technology since the creation of the internet,” says Klaus Zwart, CEO of Biocryptology - which has unveiled a new fingerprint scanner he claims could get rid of passwords and PIN numbers forever.

The scanner could "end cybercrime" such as identity theft, he claims.

Like Apple’s Fingerprint ID in iPhone 5, Biocryptology recognises a user by their fingerprint - but the information is immediately encrypted, so people can use their fingers on many devices instead of one.

It also uses an advanced sensor which senses oxygen in the blood via ultraviolet, checking the user is alive - so it can’t be fooled with a severed finger, or a fake.

For instance, a bank  could use fingers instead of cards and PINs to identify customers at bank machines - or immigration could use prints instead of passwords.

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Because the information (the fingerprint) is encrypted and stored online, it can be transmitted safely to multiple devices - without offering cybercriminals the opportunity to hack into a database and print out fakes.

“Biocryptology also uses a UV sensor, infrared sensor and temperature sensors to look for blood flow, body temperature and pH to ensure that not only does the finger 'look' right, but that it is also a live finger - not a dead one or a silicone replica finger,” the company says.

“A fingerprint on its own is meaningless. If it cannot be verified as also belonging to the actual live person it is meant to belong to then it is no more secure than a password or a pin number that can be stolen and used illegally.”

Apple’s use of a fingerprint sensor has reignited the debate over the security of passwords - seen by most security experts as a “weak link”, which offers cybercriminals their way in to most systems.

According to Norton’s Cybercrime report, half of all smartphone users find passwords too annoying to use - and leave their devices unprotected.

But Biocryptology is far from the only company battling to replace passwords - and there are some truly surreal technologies just around the corner.

The password pill

Earlier this year, Motorola’s head of special projects, Regina Dugan showed off a normal-looking pill - which, when swallowed, turns your body into a password. A reaction with stomach acid activates the electronics inside, and it begins to transmit an 18-bit signal, which works as a password, until the digestive process dictates that a new “authentication pill” is needed. The pill is reportedly already certified as safe by America’s Food and Drug Administration.  "I take a vitamin every day, why can't I take a vitamin authentication every day?" asked Dugan.

The hissing smartphone

Passwords are one solution to security - the other is having a physical object, similar to a key. A new start-up, SlickLogin, believes that your smartphone itself could be the key to log in to websites - by playing an inaudible hiss to your PC.  Simply holding your phone a few inches from your PC will be enough to log in to sites and services previously protected by cumbersome two-factor systems, a new start-up claims. The PC plays a unique sound - the smartphone “hears” it, and sends a green light to the server of the site you’re attempting to access, saying, yes, it’s you.

The heartbeat bracelet

Four decades ago, scientists realised that your heartbeat was as unique as a fingerprint - but turning that knowledge into a way to identify people has taken a long, long time. The first use of heartbeats to identify people will be the Nymi bracelet from Bionym, which “completely bypasses passwords and PINS” its creators claim. The bracelet has an ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor built in, and wirelessly transmits a signal to smartphones that the user is the right guy, rather than a thief. It will ship in 2014.





The brain-scanning hat

A hat that constantly scans people’s brainwaves might not appeal to fashionistas - but it could be the car key of the future. By constantly scanning for a person’s unique pattern of brainwaves, using a built-in ECG machine, the hat has several advantages over keys - it can stop carjackings, and can also stop drunk drivers taking the wheel, by recognising their changed patterns. It can also prevent drivers falling asleep at the wheel, according to Isao Nakanishi of Tottori University.

Thinking of your favourite song

Simply thinking of a favourite song in front of a scanner could be a new sort of “password”, according to UC Berkeley researchers. Cheap scanners can be used - the only tricky part, the researchers admit, is making people focus on one thought. Songs, so far, have worked well - and can be used to unlock PCs with a failure rate of less than 1%.