News and insight into biometric identification and authentication

Android’s facial recognition not very secure

Friday, December 16, 2011

The facial recognition feature that’s part of the most recent incarnation of the Android mobile device operating system called Ice Cream Sandwich is being panned as very easily fooled, according to an Information Week article.

The feature, which uses a front-facing camera to enable a registered user access to the phone and any features within, is acknowledged as a potential time saver. But seeing that it can be fooled by holding up a printed photo of the registered user, it is seen as a security failure.


Experts are warning users to be skeptical of such new security technologies.

Among the suggested solutions to improve the facial recognition feature would be for some sort of liveness detection, such as requiring a user to smile or wink while in process of authenticating an identity so as to render simple photographs impossible as a way to fool the phone.

Read the full story here[end] 

Neurotechnology announced that it has developed three versions of embedded solutions for Android-powered devices such as smart phones and tablets.

Specifically, Neurotechnology has ported its VeriFinger Embedded software development kit (SDK), which authenticates user identities via fingerprints, VeriLook Embedded SDK, which authenticates user identities via facial recognition, and MegaMatcher Embedded SDK, which authenticates user identities via both fingerprints and facial recognition. A version that utilizes iris recognition also is in the works.

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Three University of California, Riverside scholars have received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to launch a program that will use facial recognition software to identify unknown subjects in portrait art.

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Beta testers for Sensible Vision’s new FastAccess Anywhere facial recognition password replacement app are praising its speed, accuracy and reliability.

FastAccess Anywhere is available on both iOS and Android and replaces traditional passwords with a secure combination of the user’s face and a gesture. This enables the user to replace login password information and quickly log in to devices, applications and Web sites. Users can also synchronize the app settings between devices.

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DigitalPersona Inc. released a new version of its DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise software that includes facial recognition as a method for authentication.

Facial recognition can now be combined with fingerprint biometrics, passwords, PINs, proximity cards, smart cards and OATH tokens for a multi-factor authentication solution. Policy creation and enforcement works through a client’s existing Active Directory infrastructure.

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