BioPassword, Inc. announced findings from a survey, sponsored by BioPassword and conducted by Harris Interactive®, that reveal of the nearly nine in 10 (88%) online adults who use password-protected Web sites, 63% worry that their online password may be stolen and used for identity theft. However, 86% still say they prefer to select passwords that are easy to remember and four in 10 record their passwords (39%) or share them with someone else (44%). Among adults who use password-protected sites and services, two in three (67%) prefer to use Web sites that employ multiple methods of identity verification. The results also show that 82% of adults who use password-protected sites have forgotten their passwords, and the majority (59%) said it happens at least once a year. When they forget, more than half (54%) contact customer service – a costly expense for organizations. Please visit http://www.biopassword.com to view the full report or email biopassword@schwartz-pr.com for more information. 

bioMETRX has incorporated AuthenTec’s AES2510 sensor into its smartTOUCH™ product line. bioMETRX’s first product, the Master Lock® smartTOUCH™ garage door opener (GDO), has broken the “under $100.00” retail barrier, a first for any consumer access product featuring AuthenTec’s sensor. The smartTOUCH GDO™, sold as the Master Lock® smartTOUCH GDO™, retails for $97.00 and can be purchased at The Home Depot stores nationwide. 

Lockheed Martin is cooperating with Cognitec Systems, facial recognition experts, in the rapidly growing marketplace of biometrics solutions. Lockheed Martin is incorporating multiple biometrics techniques – including fingerprint, facial and iris scanning – into their operations. In May, the corporation opened its Biometric Experimentation and Advanced Concepts (BEACON) facility in White Hall, WV, to serve as a collaborative center to develop integrated biometrics solutions. 

Bromba Biometrics’ BioIDENTICA® SDK is now compatible with SecuGen® Hamster™ III, Hamster Plus and Hamster IV fingerprint readers. The BioIDENTICA SDK allows a simple integration of fingerprint technology into any existing or new software application that can benefit from biometric authentication. Software integrators need not worry about compatibility requirements for mixing fingerprint sensing hardware devices from different vendors. 

Identica’s vascular biometric technology has been recognized by SC Magazine as a leading security product within the Biometrics/Access Control industry. Featured in the magazine’s December issue, Identica’s VP-II scanner was among multiple entries that were rigorously tested and evaluated over the past 11 months. The testing included features, product usablility, performance, integration, accuracy and value. Identica’s VP-II scanner utilizes patented recognition algorithms to capture and encrypt individuals’ unique vascular patterns on the back of the human hand. With the option of storing the encrypted unique personal template on media such as a smart card, the scanner communicates with Identica’s proprietary Universal Controller (the UC-2) and biometrically verifies the user with the stored template on the media. 

Dave Sullivan, President, Fargo Electronics, Inc.

As we move through the latter half of this decade, we will see continued momentum in the development and adoption of contactless technology. Two areas affected by this growth are the use of a single credential to host multiple applications, and the use of personal electronic devices, such as mobile phones, as virtual identity credentials. 

A lockable diary, a portable pill dispenser and deposit boxes, all which could only be accessed via a fingerprint sensor, were some of the ideas submitted to fingerprint solutions provider AuthenTec as part of the company’s Big Ideas contest. Hundreds of entrants were sent in with 25 winners selected.