[TML] Seemingly High Tech Computer Stuff

[Timothy Little]

On Tue, Nov 06, 2007 at 07:29:21PM -0600, Eris Reddoch wrote:
> Security through Biometrics sounds good and likely will be
> convenient, but the more convenient it is the less secure it will
> be. Fingerprints: mold his print, or if you're being gross take his
> finger or whole hand, dna: that's easy!,

You can even make pretty good replicas fairly easily and quickly from
fingerprints left on many smooth surfaces (especially glass and
plastic).

The biggest problem with biometric identification is that the valid
user can't revoke them when compromised.  What's worse, in almost
every such scheme the same credentials are presented to every device,
so a compromised device can collect a very large set of irrevocable
credentials.  As such their utility drops very rapidly with frequency
of use.


- Tim