Hitachi builds 3mm-thick vein scanner in its Transylvanian lair
by Vladislav Savov 
posted Aug 28th 2009 at 8:19AM
biometrics posts
Hitachi develops biometric payment system, uses it to sell junk food
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 22nd 2009 at 1:13PM
Looks like Hitachi has made some serious headway on the biometric payment system we first heard about way back in the halcyon days of 2007. According to the Mainichi Daily News, the company is currently testing its Finger Vein Authentication System internally, with the device serving as a method of payment for vending machines and the like. Once it's proven that employees are able to get their Koala's March and Hi-Chew without incident, the plan is to up the ante, with high precision ID systems that combine finger vein and finger print authentication systems for military use.Fujitsu's PalmSecure takes high-speed, contact free biometric readings
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 17th 2009 at 12:23PM
This next item should be music to the ears of security professionals, fans of biometric devices, and germophobes alike. Fujitsu has just announced a new palm vein authentication device -- one that's being touted as the world's fastest, and the first that works without the user actually touching the device. Unlike past implementations of this technology, which moved at a comparative snail's pace, PalmSecure works in as little as one millisecond. We can think of a number of places where this sort of thing could be particularly useful, from top secret lairs housing doomsday devices to anyplace where people might not be washing their hands as often as they should be (we really hate that). Despite its speed, Fujitsu insists that this bad boy performs with the same level of accuracy as its slow moving brethren. More pics after the break.
[Via Akihabara News]
[Via Akihabara News]
Recent Apple patent filing speaks of stealth biometric security on iPhone, other insane insanity
by Laura June posted Mar 27th 2009 at 10:09PM
Recent patent fillings by Apple that AppleInsider has dug up point to the company adding several new methods of insuring the security of its devices for users. The new filings cite biometric authentication methods that would excite Ethan Hunt -- including installation of a hidden sensor behind the screen that would recognize the user's fingerprint when touched, and / or a front-facing camera for retinal recognition. The filing also suggests further possibilities, such as the device being capable of recognizing the user's voice, or collecting DNA samples for recognition via genetic code. We've heard plenty of semi-speculative tech tales in the past, so we always take this stuff with a grain of salt, but Apple seems to be moving forward at least into the research phase of such endeavors. To the future we go! There's one more fantastic scribble after the break, hit the read link for more details.
Sony's Mofiria biometrics to be trotted out sometime this year
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 2nd 2009 at 10:21AM
We don't know anybody who seriously relies on biometrics -- except, of course, those of you who rushed out late last year to pick up your very own BioMirage Coffer -- but if this is your bag, take note: Sony has just announced Mofiria, their new high speed, compact biometric solution for mobile devices. Similar to Fujitsu's PalmSecure, the technology uses near infrared LEDs and a CMOS sensor to capture a snapshot of your veins. Apparently, vein patterns vary from person to person and from finger to finger, and don't change throughout a person's life -- making them perfect for use in authentication. Of course, passwords should also vary from person to person, and computer to computer, but Sony won't ever be able to charge extra for a secure password. And that's really what all this is about, isn't it? No word on a price yet, but this bad boy should roll out sometime in 2009. PR after the break.
Lenovo ThinkPads to freeze when texted, deter thieves from getting the goods
by Darren Murph posted Nov 25th 2008 at 2:57AM
Fingerprint 'developer' used to lift text from letter-containing envelopes
by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2008 at 9:40AM
MacGyver and Maxwell Smart had a plethora of tricks up their sleeves (or shoes, as it were), but they never had this. One Paul Kelly and colleagues at Loughborough University have discovered that a disulfur dinitride polymer can not only turn exposed fingerprints brown as it creates a reaction with the nearly undetectable residues, but it can also lift text from departed letters. In an odd twist of fate, it was found that traces of ink jet printer ink can actually initiate the polymer just like print residue can, and the detection limit is so low that details from a letter that was once within an envelope can be seen after adequate exposure to the chemical. And you thought snail-mailing those interoffice love letters was a safe bet.UK police to wield mobile fingerprint scanners, facial recognition up next
by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2008 at 11:03AM
[Via Pocket-lint, image courtesy of SpringCard]
Lenovo's P960 handset packs a fingerprint scanner
by Darren Murph posted Aug 12th 2008 at 4:09PM
Samsung's P960 handset has a built-in DVR, while Lenovo's P960 includes a fingerprint scanner. Pointless trivia aside, the latter is also Lenovo's first commercial mobile phone to incorporate fingerprint biometrics. Atrua Technologies has provided a fingerprint scanner that resides on the handset's edge in order to provide additional security for folks (read: cheaters, FBI agents and Segway users) who simply cannot afford to let their contact list be known. Even dodgier, the phone has a VIP recording feature which "automatically records calls from designated numbers" -- something that's sure to provide hours upon hours of merriment. We'd bemoan the fact that pricing information isn't readily available, but we just can't get over that whole automatic recording thing.Researcher crafts tattoo / scar matching system to nab outlaws
by Darren Murph posted Jun 22nd 2008 at 7:39AM
[Via TG Daily]
Fujitsu intros PalmSecure PC Log-In Kit for small businesses
by Donald Melanson posted Apr 7th 2008 at 11:14AM
Some folks may have concerns about the security of biometric systems, but Fujitsu doesn't seem to be suffering from any such worries, with it now touting its new PalmSecure PC Log-In Kit as a quick and easy (and secure) solution for small and medium-sized businesses. At the center of the kit is the company's PalmSecure mouse (no word if its been revised since the earlier version pictured at right), which makes use of palm vein-scanning technology instead of the more common fingerprint-scanning variety. That, Fujitsu says, should allow for quick log-ons into Windows sessions or password-protected applications, with a greater tolerance for the distance and angle of the hand when its placed over the scanner. No firm word on price just yet, unfortunately, but Fujitsu says it'll be available at a "competitive price point" when it's released this June.Researcher raises alarm about biometric hacking with "biologger" tool
by Donald Melanson posted Apr 3rd 2008 at 2:02PM
While attempts to bypass biometric security measures are certainly nothing new, a researcher from London-based Information Risk Management is now raising an alarm about a new area of biometric hacking, and he's even gone so far as to release the source code for proof-of-concept tool to really drive the point home. As PC World reports, IRM's Matthew Lewis has demonstrated what he describes as a "biologging" system, which actually intercepts and captures biometric data as it passes between the biometric scanner and the processing server, during which time it apparently isn't encrypted on many systems. That, Lewis says, opens up the possibility of so-called "man-in-the-middle" attacks," although there is the slight problem that the biologger needs to actually be inserted into the network in order to do its thing. Even so, Lewis says that such dangers do exist, and he's hoping that the release of the tool will encourage manufacturers to beef up their security.
[Image courtesy IRM white paper]
[Image courtesy IRM white paper]
FBI amassing largest face, fingerprint, palm database in the world
by Ryan Block posted Dec 22nd 2007 at 1:52PM
P.S. -The only other document on NGI we were able to immediately turn up appears to come from 2006, and it doesn't like the same that Reuters is referring to. [Warning: PDF link]
Nokia envisions fingerprint-reading cellphone displays
by Darren Murph posted Dec 3rd 2007 at 4:51PM
[Via CellPassion]
NXP supplying Germany with second-gen ePassports
by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2007 at 3:46AM
Considering just how well the first round of RFID ePassports withstood subversion attempts from hackers, we're amazed that anything needs to be tweaked at all. Sarcasm aside, NXP is all set to make Germany the first country on the planet to utilize second-generation ePassports, as the EU-set deadline to migrate doesn't pass until June of 2009. The new passports will include a SmartMX chip that allows biometric data to be "securely stored on the passport," and the 80kb of onboard storage also holds the individual's photo, name, and date / country of birth. Of note, NXP even goes so far as to gloat about the chip's ability to "guard against attack scenarios," but we'll be interested to see how long it takes the oh-so-motivated hacking community to find a backdoor when these launch later this month.[Via TheRegister]
