Biometrics Researchers Aim to Reduce Passwords

November 13, 2013

Perdue University researchers are working on technology that could enable users to replace passwords with iris or fingerprint scans, The Associated Press reports.

The researchers are testing emerging biometric technologies for weaknesses in the basement lab of Perdue University’s International Center for Biometrics Research. Iris and fingerprint scans, as well as facial and voice recognition, are just a few of the tools that could eliminate the need to frequently change passwords.

“I think the average person would tell you they have too many passwords and it’s a hassle to change them all the time, and therefore they use the same password for lots of things, which inherently makes that easier to break,” says Stephen Elliot, the center’s director, in the AP article.

Universities are enlisting the new biometric technology for a range of tasks, including paying for meals and restricting access to high-security facilities. Soldiers in Iraq carry handheld devices allowing them to scan fingerprints, retinas and faces and compare them with a database filled with hundreds of thousands of identities.

In a West Lafayette KFC restaurant, workers are punching by putting their finger on a fingerprint scanner attached to their cash register, which mitigates the risk of workers logging in for each other and limits access to the registers.

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Biometrics Researchers Aim to Reduce Passwords

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