Security as Who We Are

A company called Kryptowire is creating cellphone software, funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security, that authenticates users without the use of passwords and pins. The software will use behavioral biometrics instead, through sensors in the phone such as how the touch screen is used and accelerometer for tilt and common movements, also environmental parameters such as frequent locations.

Coaching Moment: Tapping into the physical aspects of who we are (e.g., fingerprints, iris or vein patterns, eye or body movements, DNA) provides a more unique, personal signature that can be part of one’s security portfolio. It works best, however, when we control use of these aspects ourselves, rather then creating a virtual data-based persona that can be used against us. After all, we can’t really change who we are.

Cracking passwords has become widespread enough to tackle some of the more complicated passwords. Cracking a “virtual persona” into reusable parts is just another step away on the security spectrum. When (not if) this happens, what do we use next?

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