Alternatives to Passwords

David Bohn

Password : History• The average working professional has 6

passwords to perform daily functions• Passwords if used correctly are low risk,

cost effective• Most common source of security

Password : Problem

• Users usually use “weak” passwords, because “strong” passwords are hard to remember.

• Passwords written down and not placed in a secure area.

• Sharing passwords.• Most computer attacks

Current Solutions

A few Solutions:• Biometrics• Smart Cards• Radio Frequency ID (RFID)

Biometrics : Defined

• The automated use of physiological or behavioral characteristics to determine or verify identity.

• data derived from direct measurement of a part of the human body

Biometric : Benefits

Employer Reduced costs – password maintenance

Reduced costs – no buddy punching Increased security – no shared or compromised passwords Increased security – deter and detect fraudulent account access Increased security – no badge sharing in secure areas

Biometric : BenefitsEmployees Convenience – no passwords to remember or reset Convenience – faster login

Security – confidential files can be stored securely

Consumers Convenience – no passwords to remember or reset

Security – personal files, including emails, can be secured Security – online purchases safer when enabled by biometric Privacy – ability to transact anonymously

Biometrics : Leading Technologies

• Fingerprint (optical, silicon, ultrasound, touch less)

• Facial recognition (optical and thermal) • Voice recognition (not to be confused

with speech recognition) • Iris recognition • Retina-scan • Hand geometry - Signature-scan

Biometrics : Fingerprints

• Most common and used biometric approach

• Optical vs. Silicon vs. Ultrasound• Main uses of fingerprints: daily access

to networks and PCs, enter restricted areas, and to authorize transactions

Biometrics : Fingerprints

• Door locks are around $200 and up

• USB drive with fingerprint reader $80 and up

Biometric : Fingerprints

Optical reads

• Oldest and most widely used

• A charged coupler device converts image

• Focuses on dark ridges and light valleys.

• Transmitted as a digital signal.

Biometric : Fingerprints

Silicon reads

• Works as a DC capacitance. The plate as one capacitor and the finger is the other.

• Converts prints into an 8bit grayscale digital image.

• Better quality than optical, with less surface area than optical

Biometric : Fingerprints

Ultrasound

• Considered the most accurate of the three.

• Transmits acoustic waves and measures the distance bases on the impedance of the finger.

• Capable of penetrating dirt and residue.

Biometric : Problems with Fingerprints

• Cold finger  • Dry/oily finger  • High or low

humidity  • Manual activity

that would mar or affect fingerprints (construction, gardening) 

• Pressure of placement 

• Location of finger on platen (poorly placed core) 

• Cuts to fingerprint 

• Angle of finger placement

Biometrics : Facial Recognition

• Feature analysis • Feature analysis is

robust enough to perform 1-1 or 1-many searches

• Utilizes distinctive features of the face

• Verification time from “system ready” prompt: 3-4 seconds

Biometric : Problems with Facial Recognition

• Change in facial hair  • Change in hairstyle  • Adding/removing

hat, glasses  • Quality and

placement of camera • ‘Loud’ clothing that

can distract face location 

• Change in weight  • Angle at which facial

image is captured• Too much

movement  • Quality of capture

device • Lighting conditions 

Biometric : Voice Recognition

• Voice recognition vs. Speech Recognition

• Voice recognition verifies the identity of the individual who is speaking

• Utilizes the distinctive aspects of the voice to verify the identity of individuals

Biometric : Problems with Voice Recognition

• Cold or illness that affects voice • Different enrollment and verification

capture devices • Different enrollment and verification

environments (inside vs. outside) • Speaking softly • Variation in background noise • Poor placement of microphone / capture

device  • Quality of capture device 

Biometric : Iris Scans

• Primary visible characteristic is the trabecular meshwork

• Other visible characteristics include rings, furrows, freckles, and the corona

Biometric : Iris Scan• Trabeculum of loose fibers found at the

iridocorneal angle between the anterior chamber of the eye and the venous sinus of the sclera; the aqueous humor filters through the spaces between the fibers into the sinus and passes into the bloodstream.

Biometric : Problems with Iris Scans

• Too much movement of head or eye • Glasses – Colored Contacts• Takes a long time for most people to

before acquainted with the system• User placed between 2-18 inches away.

Capture and verification are nearly immediate.  Typical verification time from “system ready” prompt: 3-5 seconds

Biometric : Retina Scan• Verify blood vessel patterns on retina • Typical verification time from “system ready” prompt: 10-12 seconds.

Biometric : Problems with Retina Scans

• Too much movement of head or eye • Glasses

Biometric : Hand Recognition

• Inferring the length, width, thickness, and surface area of the hand and fingers from silhouetted images projected within the scanner.

• Over 90 measurements are taken• Some are based on the shape and

characteristics of the index and middle finger.   • Relatively accurate technology, but does not

draw on as rich a data set as finger, face, or iris

Biometric : Problems with Hand Recognition

• Jewelry • Change in weight • Bandages • Swelling of joints• Also very costly startup• Cannot perform 1 –to-many searches

Smart Cards

• Inside of a smart card usually contains an embedded 8-bit microprocessor

• The microprocessor on the smart card is there for security. The host computer and card reader actually "talk" to the microprocessor. The microprocessor enforces access to the data on the card. If the host computer read and wrote the smart card's random access memory,it would be no different than a diskette

Smart Cards

Uses of Smart Cards

• Credit cards

• Electronic cash

• Computer security systems

• Wireless communication

• Loyalty systems (like frequent flyer points)

• Banking

• Government identification

Average Smart Card Specs.

1 kb of RAM• 24 kilobytes of ROM• 16 kilobytes of

programmable ROM• 8-bit microprocessor

running at 5 MHz

Problems with Smart Cards

• The United States still relies heavily on magnetic strips.

• Costly startup fee

• Codes can be found figured out by watching power consumption

Radio Frequency ID

• Works with radio frequency (RF) technology

• Uses low frequency and low power, it does not interfere with other telemetry equipment

• A user within the proximity of the computer, the user is allowed access to the system. When they leave the computer is locked again.

Radio Frequency ID

• From 3 to 30 Feet

• Passive (no battery) vs. Active

Problems with RFID

Hard to read near metal or if the transmitter has passed through water.

Up and Coming Biometrics

• DNA

• Ear Shape

• Odor (human scent)

• Vein-scan

• Nailbed Identification (ridges in fingernails)

• Gait Recognition (manner of walking)

Suggested Password Solutions

• Omit the last character or two. • Add extra characters. • Systematically change one

character in the password (for example, the second character is always one more than what it should be, if the letter written down is B, then you actually type A

Passwords

If used correctly passwords

• Provide a low risk

• Cost Effective

• Familiar interface to authenticate into systems.