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Windows 10's Biometric Security Layer Introduced

Posted by Soulskill on from the requires-multiple-bodily-fluids-for-authentication dept.

jones_supa writes: One of the major concepts of Windows 10 are new security ideas, and though Microsoft has touched on this topic before, it's only now giving us a more comprehensive look in the form of "Windows Hello." This is an authentication system that uses a variety of biometric signatures and combines hardware and software to allow for seamless and secure user recognition and sign-in. According to Microsoft, the ideal scenario here would be for you to simply look at or touch a new device running Windows 10 and to be immediately signed in. The software analyzes input from such hardware as fingerprint scanners and infrared sensors to make sure that you are you and not some impostor, and then signs you in without requiring you to enter a password. But the point of Windows Hello isn't only convenience, as the company's blog post notes, but also security. We've heard time and time again how insecure passwords are, and Microsoft is aiming to offer a widely-deployed replacement while still delivering enterprise grade security and privacy.

7 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. No thanks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Considering I have heard tales of biometric scanners being bypassed by pressing a warm hot dog against them, I think I'll pass.

    I'm sure they've improved, but I don't know that they've improved enough. Plus, I'm not sure I'd want to be auto-logged in by just picking up the device.

    1. Re:No thanks... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The deal with Windows 8 is, you get a 'Microsoft Account' that you use to log onto all your Windows 8 devices and computers. Microsoft has the password. You can't have a password on your machine that is local that Microsoft doesn't have. You can't change your password to anything you've used recently. All the usual 'LAN' password requirements, mandated, and your Windows machine won't work without them.

      So with Biometrics tied into this, you'll have your Microsoft Account, you'll have to use it to authenticate on Windows products, and you won't be able to become de-linked from it, ever. You'll not be able to be anonymous on any Windows computer or device ever again.

      Facebook and their 'Real Name' policy should be so lucky.

    2. Re:No thanks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The Microsoft account is optional. I don't use it. Please update your FUD accordingly.

    3. Re:No thanks... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Considering I have heard tales of biometric scanners being bypassed by pressing a warm hot dog against them, I think I'll pass.

      That wasn't a hot dog.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re:No thanks... by vux984 · · Score: 5, Informative

      yo have to go to something that looks like a failure state before you can create a local account. fucking ridiculous.

      Not quite. It prompts you to sign in with your existing Microsoft account. At the bottom of that screen, it says "Don't have one? And a link to "create a new account".

      Contextually that, for a lot of people is interpreted to mean "Create a new Microsoft account" however, if you click it you are presented with an account creation page for a Microsoft account but at the bottom it offers another link "Sign in without a Microsoft account" and you can create a local account from there.

      The fail state you refer to is the -other- way of reaching the same page -- where you enter dummy microsoft credentials in; force it to fail to login; and that lands you on a page where you can create a local account as well.

      However, the "proper" way to reach the local account option is the first:

      Create new Account
      Sign in without a Microsoft account

      So its not as bad you suggest, I agree it's just obscure enough to be misleading.

      For what its worth a lot of OEMs are shipping with a local user account pre-configured or are otherwise customizing it to create a local account by default.

    5. Re:No thanks... by WaffleMonster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think only blind people miss that part and falsely believe you have to create a Microsoft account.
      No matter how "obscure" some idiot like GP claims it to be

      It is clearly intentionally deceptive. There is no excuse for this behavior from a corporation who expects people to trust them.

      it's still far better than what Google does, forcing users to create a Google account with no option for a local account on Android or Chrome OS.

      Better than what Microsoft does when you refuse to set an account on a Windows Phone device. At least I can still use an Android device and install software on it without having a Google account.

  2. Windows Hello? by thisisauniqueid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Could they have picked a worse name? "Windows Hello" reminds me of all the awkward conversations I had with nontechnical Windows users about their "My Documents" folder. "Open My Documents." "Your documents?" "No, your My Documents." "My your documents?" "NO!..."