A new study sheds light on what may one day replace passwords. The cyber-security study comes from researchers at New York’s Binghamton University. The study uncovered how the human brain reacts to words. It also showed how we could use brainwaves instead of passwords to log into online accounts.
The cyber-security study
Forty-five people volunteered for the study, which allowed scientists to take a closer look at their brainwaves. The study had the volunteers read a list of 75 acronyms. The scientists then recorded the reactions of the participants. Not surprisingly, the participants had different reactions, and the computer identified every participant with a near accuracy of 94%.
The study suggests that security systems could use brain print technologies as a way to verify identities. This technology could become more important as security breach concerns continue to pile up. The recent influx of data breaches and other security concerns prompted many to create products like biometric security and fingerprint identification.
The benefit of brain print technologies
One of the coauthors of the report offered her two cents as to why brain prints could be the next big thing in security technology:
“If someone’s fingerprint is stolen, that person can’t just grow a new finger to replace the compromised fingerprint — the fingerprint for that person is compromised forever. Fingerprints are ‘non-cancellable'”
Since brain prints have the potential of being cancelled, an authorized user could easily reset brain prints if an attacker stole a brain print. The new technologies will likely remain limited to government agencies that need high security like the Air Force Labs or the Pentagon. This type of technology would be ideal for locations with a limited number of people allowed access.
Modern technologies have been paving the way for smarter security methods. Although nothing has proven to be a surefire method to improve cyber-security for all, a little progress is better than nothing.
