Forwarded From: phreak moi <hackerelite@deathsdoor.com>
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,24863,00.html?st.ne.3.head
New face for Net security?
By Tim Clark
Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM
August 3, 1998, 12:10 p.m. PT
Remembering computer passwords may become a thing of the past.
Miros today began shipping TrueFace Web, a face recognition technology
that takes a video of a PC user's face to give secure Internet access. The
product is targeted to intranets and extranets that want to limit access
to sensitive information by unauthorized people.
TrueFace Web is the latest in a line of similar products from the company
and its first Web-based version. A free demo of the product is available
on Miros' Web site. The company's products are based on its patented
technology.
"Within the early adopter marketplace, there is quite a bit of interest in
various biometric technologies," said Ted Julian, a security analyst at
Forrester Research.
"But for the rest of the market, they are several steps away from
seriously looking at biometric technologies. They've got more pressing
problems to solve," Julian added, predicting it would be at least five
years before biometrics are widely adopted.
Biometrics use some characteristics of a person's body in lieu of a
password; other biometric products include fingerprint readers, retinal
scanners, and voice recognition software.
Biometric vendors tout cost savings from reduced use of help desk
departments, which Julian said get 70 percent to 80 percent of their calls
about passwords. "Reduced sign-on calls can have real tangible bottom line
impact," he said, noting that smart cards and hardware security tokens
have the same benefits.
"What's likely to determine which kind of biometrics wins will be the
cost. With face recognition, it's how quickly do companies adopt the PC
cameras, perhaps in other than security applications," Julian said.
Miros' products work with any video for Windows product, which range in
price from $70 to $400. TrueFace Web software is priced from $199 per
user for 25 users.
Miros also markets TrueFace PC for desktop access, TrueFace Network for
server access, and TrueFace Access, a complete hardware and software
security solution for access to buildings and rooms. Miros biometric
technology has been certified by the International Computer Security
Association, a private certification firm.
-o-
Subscribe: mail majordomo@sekurity.org with "subscribe isn".
Today's ISN Sponsor: New Dimensions International [www.newdimensions.net]
Received on Wed Aug 5 12:27:04 1998