Could New Biometrics Finally Kill Smart Cards and Passwords?

Gaining access to a network or secure building has always been based on some combination of three things: something you know (usually a password), something you have (a smart card) and something you are (like a fingerprint). The next stage of authentication — toward a more secure, less aggravating process — lies in what you do and how you do it. That’s what biometric companies, the Defense Department and other government agencies are aiming for, with a broad mix of biometrics and machine learning features. The idea of using motion sensors in authentication systems as a more effective, tamper-proof method than established techniques has been in the works for a while. And although plans to introduce wider use of them haven’t come along as quickly as first envisioned — DOD said two years ago, it planned to replace Common Access Cards with a biometric system by now — the addition of artificial intelligence and machine learning features is making behavioral biometrics even more viable.