Iris recognition gadget eliminates passwords | Security

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Federal Biometric ID Cards Get Iris Scan Option

 http://www.informationweek.com/articles/229401859?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALL

Biometric ID cards being developed for federal employees and contractors may include iris scanning in addition to fingerprinting, according to updated specifications released by the federal organization for IT standards.
A new draft of Special Publication 800-76-2 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) includes a clause that would require the use of iris scanning as biometric identification if a person doesn't have fingerprints or if fingerprinting is problematic, according to the document.

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The document includes specifications for iris images stored both on and off the personal identity verification (PIV) cards people will use to confirm their identity; for iris capture devices; for the semantic properties of an iris image; for an iris image capture interface; and for an iris recognition interface.
The new draft also includes specifications for an option agencies have to add an algorithm that would provide on-card comparison of fingerprints rather than requiring a personal identification number (PIN) when checking someone's credentials.

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The original set-up for the system required a cardholder to enter a PIN number to check card credentials against a card reader. The new draft allows for agencies to choose to include an algorithm on the card that would eliminate the need for PIN entry to check credentials, according to the new draft.

Iris recognition gadget eliminates passwords

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20062254-83.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Security
Imagine logging in to Facebook or eBay with just a blink of an eye. A new gadget for consumers may soon make that possible.

EyeLock will enable you to log in to a Web site with the blink of an eye.

(Credit: Hoyos Group)

Designed by the Hoyos Group, a device called EyeLock uses iris-recognition as an alternative to passwords to log you in to password-protected Web sites and applications. Although similar eye-scanning devices are already used in the business and industrial markets, Hoyos calls EyeLock "the first and only portable iris-scanning device for consumers."
The scanning device, which resembles a wand, plugs into a base that connects to your PC via a USB port. After you install the software and choose the sites and applications that you want to iris-protect, you pass the scanner in front of your eye. A snapshot is taken of your iris to confirm your identity. Assuming you're the real you, you're then granted immediate access to the secure Web site or application.
With security always a primary concern, the company boasts that the device is unhackable.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20062254-83.html#ixzz1MXpJZrBO

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Expert: Credit Cards Transmitting Info To Thieves, RFID Be Warned.

Image via WikipediaFor several years now I have been trying to help warn people about RFID chips not only in Credit Cards but the use of them in ID cards and what is now chipping people under the skin for Obamas New Heathcare.
To see that so many still are not paying much attention to this I will include a couple of links here to keep you up to date. Though I have been posting these since 2008. I'm amazed on how many still seem to not know a thing about it. Be sure to check out some of my previous posts on this subject. Be sure to watch all the Videos as well.

http://todaysworldnewsinfo.blogspot.com/search?q=RFID

See more here.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1567045/rfid_technology_soon_to_mark_us_all.html?cat=15
And here.
http://www.squidoo.com/NewWorldRFID
http://www.squidoo.com/RFIDpart2
http://www.squidoo.com/RFIDNewWorldpart3

Be sure to see all the links above along with each video. 
Now for the news just in the past couple of days.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/26947272/detail.html
Click the link above to see the Video.

LAS VEGAS -- As credit cards become more high-tech, so too are the thieves trying to steal the information they contain.With the help of a radio frequency reader, FOX5 hit the Las Vegas Strip to find out how easy it was to steal information from unsuspecting tourists.

People on the Strip expressed surprise as their credit card number and expiration date was read back to them -- even though their cards had never left their wallets."I'm shocked, I don't like that," said Janet Kunz. "I don't like that all. I think the credit card companies should do something to protect us."Hundreds of millions of credit and debit cards are embedded with a radio frequency identification chip -- or RFID -- that the credit card industry says makes it easier for consumers to use their cards.The tiny chip inside the card communicates the account information to a merchant via a wireless reader.But only MasterCard -- one of the several credit card companies FOX5 reached out to -- responded, saying,

RFID cards "are as secure as paying with traditional MasterCard cards. Many consumers tell us they feel more secure with PayPass because they never have to turn the card over to a cashier and it never leaves their hand."The problem is that the RFID chip is always on, making consumers more susceptible to identity theft, said Walt Augustinowitz, a privacy advocate."You might as well have your card number painted on you because anyone who picks up this (card reader) online … will pick up that same information," he said.Augustinowitz said that thieves are able to buy card reader equipment through online stores, such as eBay."The idea is to get the info to people so they can protect themselves," he said. "If you don't know the door is unlocked, you don't know to lock it."

Is your credit card leaving you vulnerable?

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=7971353

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We have a consumer warning about your credit card. It could contain a simple chip that transmits your credit card information.

Typically, you'd have to wave your credit card past a reader to activate the chip, but the readers can be in the hands of the wrong people, leaving your financial information vulnerable. You use them to unlock doors, open gates and even pay for things with just the wave of a hand. The Radio Frequency ID Chip is the technology that turns your card into a key. Most people may not know it, but their credit cards may also have the chip.
Credit cards with a symbol of a chip on them, or if you have a passport issued since 2006, it has a chip. While the RFID can make life simple, some say the chips are playing a big role in electronic pick-pocketing. "One particular credit card which ended up the very next weekend having a thousand-plus dollars in fraudulent charges which I absolutely did not make," RFID victim Emily Williams said.
Williams is not certain the RFID chip in her credit card gave away her information, but the more she found out about RFID chips and the readers that can be bought online, the more she suspected technology.

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