Mouse Scans Palms to Verify ID

p00kiethebear writes "'Fujitsu is eyeing a variation on the centuries-old art of palmistry as the latest biometric weapon against unauthorized access to computer systems and facilities. The company has developed a computer mouse that will scan the palm of the user and deliver not a look into the future but verify the identity of that person.', With a .5% error rate I wouldn't be surprised if we saw this in offices within the next few years."

Comments

Slashvertisement?

[Speare]

There've been thumb-reading mice for a while now. google: thumb biometric mouse This isn't news, it's another slashvertisement.

Yawn.

Re:Slashvertisement?

[Anonymous Coward]

"The chances of the reader misreading and having someone's user/pass is very remote." Read up on your Schneier. There are 3 types of security--something you have (smartcard), something you know (PIN), and something you are (biometric). The best security should use all 3, like NYSCEDII. And then you should plan on your Ultra Secure System(tm) being compromised. Because sooner or later, it will be. Posting anonymously because this is probably Redundant.

Have they not heard of the birthday attack?

[JanMark]

In the article it states that Fujitsu conducted an experiment identifying a number of palms out of 700 palms and the system had an error rate of 0.5 percent.
It does not state what kind of errors were made. Failing to identify a palm or, confusing two palms. In the latter case, the error rate goes up dramatically with the number of palms in the database.

Fun with Print Readers

[spoonist]

This article from our friend Bruce Schneier is a good one on using gelatin to defeat biometric finger print authenticators:

This gelatin fake finger fools fingerprint detectors about 80% of the time.