How to Choose Passwords That Cannot Be Compromised by Torture?
Data protection is big business with the need to remember a lot of passwords and PINs and for some; it is a step too far. It is now quite common to use biometric indicators, and this will be irises and fingerprints, meaning it will be very hard to copy.
Data protection is big business with the need to remember a lot of passwords and PINs and for some; it is a step too far. It is now quite common to use biometric indicators, and this will be irises and fingerprints, meaning it will be very hard to copy.
No system will claim to be perfect, and a person’s details can be taken from them by force or supposed friendship. The threat of violence could easily lead to someone revealing their PIN or going along and providing a fingerprint. Cal Poly Pomona employees including Max Wolotsky have found a solution to this, and it will be possible to tell if pressure is involved. If it is determined that they are then the fingerprint, iris scan or any other biometric indicators will be rejected.
READ ALSO: Our Online Passwords are so Easy that Most “Hacking” Doesn’t Require Actual Hacking
Researchers used stress levels of the person, and the team measure the persons’ response to chill music and register this as being them in a relaxed state. The shivers down the spine – the same as when cold – heart beats and brain waves are monitored. As these cannot be faked, the decision could be made about the individual – are they willing or coerced.
Five volunteers chose their favorite chill music and by zoning in on the chill response, their relaxed state could be identified. Subjects showed a 90% pass rate but one set-back was the fact that the stress of coercion could not be replicated.
The system may not be perfect, but it is the best that there is at the moment. The first steps have been taken, and further work will follow.
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Rachel Kowalski
Rachel Kowalski is the Cybersecurity Analyst at TrendinTech, where she covers vulnerabilities, ransomware, supply chain attacks, nation-state operations and the security rules shaping organizations in the United States and Europe. Before moving into journalism she worked as a threat intelligence analyst at a security vendor and later reported for CyberScoop and the security desk at Wired, covering the SolarWinds compromise and the ransomware wave that hit hospitals and pipelines. Rachel holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from the Georgia Institute of Technology and attends Black Hat and DEF CON in Las Vegas each year, where she follows research from the security community. She writes to make risks and countermeasures understandable to people who are not specialists.
All stories by Rachel Kowalski (214)