BioInformatics? All it needs is the software.

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
For the last few years, almost every Mac has had a video camera and a mic built-in. It's a shame that probably 99.9% of users don't use it. Personally, to me it's just a small black square, adding to the cost of manufacturing a mac. Not very business like.



What if, the camera and mic were put to good use? As mentioned in the title, I am of course referring to bio-informatics or bio-metrics, interfacing between man and machine for security purposes i.e. facial and voice recognition to replace the username and password.



Technically, the software has developed to a mature enough state for it to be deployed on a mass scale e.g. operating system, and the camera should be more than adequate. Not only can it be used to validate a users identity, but it could also be used as the random number generator used for encryption, the foundation of modern security.



Apparently, according to industry sources, it's more secure than usernames and passwords. No more secretly hidden notes with passwords or forgotten passwords in general leading to lost data and no more weak passwords. Key loggers would be made redundant etc. the list is endless.



If my security knowledge is correct, the only way you could hack the system would be with a brute force prime number cruncher. Even then, depending on the level of encryption, you'll need several super computers.



Your average user probably logs in and out several times a day, everyday. If you add up the seconds over a year, the seconds turn into several hours. Bio-informatics will cut each login down to milliseconds. Those several hours are hours you won't get back. If you take this argument further, you can start adding the seconds it takes to confirm software updates, changing permissions, deleting files all that require administrative validation. Those hours might just start turning into days.



Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that developments have been made with the technology to differentiate between a real face and a photograph, making a system potentially even more secure than your standard user validation procedure.



However, if I am wrong, as a precautionary measure, an infrared camera can be incorporated with the standard camera to confirm the visible image. Interestingly enough, each of our infrared images is unique as well...



Apple, as the only manufacturer of a computer with built in audio and video and controlling the operating system, could leap several years ahead of it's competition and make the system more secure in the process. The way things are is so 1970's.



A.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    synpsynp Posts: 248member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ASGR View Post


    For the last few years, almost every Mac has had a video camera and a mic built-in. It's a shame that probably 99.9% of users don't use it. Personally, to me it's just a small black square, adding to the cost of manufacturing a mac. Not very business like.



    What if, the camera and mic were put to good use? As mentioned in the title, I am of course referring to bio-informatics or bio-metrics, interfacing between man and machine for security purposes i.e. facial and voice recognition to replace the username and password.



    Technically, the software has developed to a mature enough state for it to be deployed on a mass scale e.g. operating system, and the camera should be more than adequate. Not only can it be used to validate a users identity, but it could also be used as the random number generator used for encryption, the foundation of modern security.



    Apparently, according to industry sources, it's more secure than usernames and passwords. No more secretly hidden notes with passwords or forgotten passwords in general leading to lost data and no more weak passwords. Key loggers would be made redundant etc. the list is endless.



    If my security knowledge is correct, the only way you could hack the system would be with a brute force prime number cruncher. Even then, depending on the level of encryption, you'll need several super computers.



    Your average user probably logs in and out several times a day, everyday. If you add up the seconds over a year, the seconds turn into several hours. Bio-informatics will cut each login down to milliseconds. Those several hours are hours you won't get back. If you take this argument further, you can start adding the seconds it takes to confirm software updates, changing permissions, deleting files all that require administrative validation. Those hours might just start turning into days.



    Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that developments have been made with the technology to differentiate between a real face and a photograph, making a system potentially even more secure than your standard user validation procedure.



    However, if I am wrong, as a precautionary measure, an infrared camera can be incorporated with the standard camera to confirm the visible image. Interestingly enough, each of our infrared images is unique as well...



    Apple, as the only manufacturer of a computer with built in audio and video and controlling the operating system, could leap several years ahead of it's competition and make the system more secure in the process. The way things are is so 1970's.



    A.



    Using the camera and mikes for random number generation is a good idea. Biometrics is not.



    Biometrics is one of those things that sound great in theory, but fail in practice. For starters it cannot be used over the Internet, so we're talking about local login. Face recognition is not fast - I can type my password in less time than it takes a face recognition program to verify my face. Then there are all the failures:
    • You want to use your MBP in the dark, but then the camera doesn't work.

    • Disaster has struck - you have a zit. All of a sudden your MBP does not recognize you

    There is a reason why we all still use passwords. They just work so much better than anything else.
  • Reply 2 of 3
    asgrasgr Posts: 2member
    Modern technology doesn't analyse the intricate details of the face. So zit or no zit it should work. Further more, it's advanced to the point where it can identify a face under a disguise.



    The technology creates a type of finger print of your face, plotting the key features like the distance and position between your eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, chin etc. to create, in essence, a unique ID. It's similar to finger-print recognition software. It doesn't check every curve or line. It identifies key characteristics.



    In terms of processing the image, I've seen a standard desktop computer process 30 images per second applying AI (M.I.T) to identity the contents of the image more successfully than a human operator.



    Operating in the dark could be a problem but I suppose it depends on the sensitivity of the camera to the light given off from the screen. Some standard CCD's operate more efficiently than the human eye and amplify the signal. As long as their is enough light to distinguish the key features of a face it shouldn't be that much of a problem.



    A.
  • Reply 3 of 3
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ASGR View Post


    almost every Mac has ... a video camera and a mic built-in. It's a shame that probably 99.9% of users don't use it.



    wheres the evidence to support that?
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