Many people struggle when it comes to using strong and
varying passwords for different technologies and services. Passwords which are
easy to remember generally aren't very strong, and remembering many unique passwords
is just not practical. Strong passwords are becoming increasingly important as people use web services to manage their businesses, finances, and
personal lives. In response to this password problem, Apple’s new iPhone has a
fingerprint recognition sensor that someone has claimed to have already hacked.
Why was Apple so confident in this technology? Most forms of biometric identity
verification can easily be fooled. I believe biometric verification could work if
it were more complex. For example, if there was a combination of 3D face
recognition and a DNA test, then the identifying data would be so complex it
would take a lot of time and effort to hack. Another proposed solution to the
password problem is a USB stick being developed by Google. This solution has
its own set of problems, foremost that people lose small objects just as easily
as they forget passwords. However, I think something that can generate strong passwords
for multiple services is the right direction and it wouldn't have to be as
complex as biometric verification.
I blogged about the TouchID hack. http://trevordixon.github.io/blog/2013/09/23/iphones-new-fingerprint-scanner-circumvented/
ReplyDeleteStrong passwords are hard to remember and even harder to type on touchscreen devices, so humans fall back to extremely weak (predictable passwords) or 0-security (no passcode on their phone) solutions. We're many years away from a strong replacement for passwords. Until then, I expect to see lots of stories about hacked Twitter accounts.
Sorry, forgot to include the link. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57604067-37/hackers-claim-to-have-defeated-apples-touch-id-print-sensor/
ReplyDeleteWhile biometric security isn't perfect, it is advancing. It's not hard to imagine a world where biometric security is faster than plugging in a USB or as fast as swiping a card.
ReplyDelete