Open up new channels for Internet information security

In fact, not just Apple, but on the other side of the ocean, Google, Motorola and other high-tech companies are challenging traditional password input methods. New solutions such as biometric identification and hardware-level encryption are brewing. Just one day after Apple released iPhone 5s with fingerprint recognition on September 11, Google’s director of information security, Heather Adkins, publicly stated “Passwords deaddead” to the outside world. This is undoubtedly a declaration before the launch of the new campaign. Yes, are we really ready?

Fingerprint identification of past and present fingerprints is unique and has long been a tool for authentication. From the technical point of view, fingerprint identification technology is divided into optical identification, capacitance identification and radio frequency identification in the field of high-tech products, fingerprint identification technology has long existed for many years. Liu Zhengya, an IT industry analyst at Izumo Consulting, said that due to the uniqueness of fingerprints, people used it as an authentication tool for a long time. In terms of market maturity, apart from the popularity of fingerprint recognition technology in business laptops, At present, many companies' security systems, attendance machines, and even access control cards have begun to use fingerprint identification technology. "From the technical point of view, fingerprint identification technology is divided into optical recognition, capacitance recognition, and updated radio frequency identification. The cost of optical identification is low, but because light cannot penetrate the skin surface (dead skin layer), it is in practical use. Optical recognition is not only easy because of the poor cleanliness of the finger surface, but also because of poor security.

According to Liu Zhengyao, the second-generation capacitive fingerprinting technology is now more mainstream in devices with higher security requirements. “Business laptops also have fingerprint information collected by the public security department when we handle all types of certificates. Mostly used is this technique." Compared with optical identification, the detection area of ​​the capacitive fingerprinting consists of a very small array of capacitors. After the skin of the finger is charged, the fingerprint lines are detected by the principle of capacitance (distance between the valley and the ridge of the fingerprint results in different capacitances in the array. There is a difference in the upper capacitor, and a certain algorithm is used to obtain fingerprint samples. “This technology will detect the dermis layer of the finger deeply, not just the image of the dead skin layer, so the safety is improved a lot, but the silicon material used on the surface of the capacitive sensor is easily damaged, so its durability still exists. Problems, but also for sweaty fingers or dirty fingers, it also has the problem that the recognition rate is not high enough."

In addition to the above two types of fingerprint recognition technology, in recent years, there is a fingerprint identification technology called radio frequency sensor is emerging. As the name suggests, this technology uses a small amount of RF signal emitted by the sensor itself, penetrates the skin layer of the finger to control the measurement of the inner layer to obtain the best fingerprint image, and therefore has a high recognition rate for sweaty fingers, dirty fingers, etc. In order to improve, anti-counterfeiting fingerprint capability is strong, because the identification principle of this technology only responds to human dermis skin, so fundamentally eliminates the problem of artificial fingerprints. "Currently from the official disclosure of Apple's information, TouchID technology is highly likely to use radio frequency identification technology, but it may also use capacitive identification technology." Liu Zhengyao said that Apple now has both RF and capacitive fingerprint-sensing sensor technology, so it is possible to create a hybrid solution. Liu Zhengyao said that from the current development of related industries, the integration of fingerprint recognition technology is the direction, "although optical recognition is relatively backward, but the low cost features make it still useless in the place of low security requirements. Because it is still a good alternative to password entry, capacitance recognition and RFID will be very useful in devices and locations that require more security."

Application of ecological construction is more critical With Apple's application of ecological integration capabilities, if the biometric technology is open to third-party applications, people no longer need to set up a lot of cumbersome and difficult passwords for different websites. If TouchID is the only technology, it does not mean that How much innovation does Apple have. Li Guangyi, who is an IT media person, praised the TouchID function in person. In his opinion, TouchID has taken a very important step in the practicality of fingerprint recognition technology. "From pressing the Home button to relaxing the finger to complete fingerprinting, booting is basically more than one second. There is basically no sense of lag. This is because you have to be careful when you slide your finger on a laptop and you often have to repeatedly slide it. The circumstances of the times are very different, and practicality is the key to the popularization of technology."

However, in the eyes of many industry experts, TouchID technology is not only promoting the fingerprint recognition technology, but its practicality and ease of use are only the foundation. Based on TouchID technology, the personal information security that the users are increasingly concerned about in the mobile Internet era The problem is the main goal that Apple tries to overcome. "I have to say that Apple's idea is very good, although the current TouchID can only be used in the screen unlock and iTunes, AppStore and other apple applications native password input link, but this has opened a good head, with Apple's application of ecological integration capabilities Under the condition of mature conditions, if this technology is open to third-party applications, then people no longer need to set up numerous cumbersome and hard-to-remember passwords for different websites, and there is no need to worry about account theft in mobile shopping, online games, etc. Such as headaches, because the finger is your password, without your finger's consent, no one can manipulate your phone!" TMT industry analyst Zhang Yi told reporters in this way.

"This is the advantage of companies integrating hardware and software in promoting advanced technologies. In the past, although notebook manufacturers were equipped with fingerprint recognition technology, they were not software developers and did not form a complete ecosystem with software developers. There are breakthroughs in hardware technology, but not necessarily in time to get the cooperation of software applications, but manufacturers such as Apple, which is different from hardware and software, not only have strength in hardware technology development, but also have absolute influence in software developers. There is enough appealing force to encourage developers to develop compatible applications for their hardware innovations. This kind of software and hardware collaboration is the key to truly promoting the market for fingerprint identification technology. Google also has the same appeal, so it's high It was only with confidence that the management had shouted the slogan that 'the password is dead',' said Zhang Yi.

However, the prospect is in the foreground. In terms of real technology, the new fingerprint identification technology represented by TouchID is not unassailable. After the iPhone 5s went on the market for a certain period of time, some users found that the recognition function would be reported incorrectly when their fingers were stained with water or oil. Apple officials also confirmed this. Not only that, but there are also hacking organizations that have announced that they have succeeded in bypassing TouchID's "checkpoint" by obtaining high-definition fingerprint images from users and then manufacturing high-precision finger patterns. According to Marc Rogers, a security expert at Lookout, a smartphone security company, there is indeed such a possibility, but to achieve this, it is impossible for ordinary users to "unless you use the same equipment as the FBI."

The security disputes related to TouchID are certainly not limited to the above mentioned. In fact, when the technology was announced, some experts raised concerns about more background, such as whether Apple will remotely back up the user's personal fingerprint information. Fortunately, Apple responded by saying that the user's fingerprint information will only be encrypted and stored in the processor of the mobile phone and will not be backed up remotely.

The trend of new encryption technology has gradually faded away from the traditional methods of password protection. There are also many difficulties in using it. In this case, it is a general trend to make breakthroughs in information encryption technology. Although the security of TouchID is not yet It has been comprehensively tested that even the durability of this technology is insufficient, but it has not yet been fully proved. However, around the advent of the TouchID, the "robbing the power to seize power" of the new encryption technology has quietly started. "Since the Internet era, especially the mobile Internet era, people's work and life have been related to the Internet platform. However, the more personal information is used to access the Internet, the more serious the problem of information security becomes. However, traditional password protection methods are not mentioned. It is technically backward and there are also many problems in using it. In this case, it is a general trend to make breakthroughs in information encryption technology,” said Liu Zhengyu.

In fact, not only Apple, but many leading technology companies have already started the trials. In addition to fingerprinting technology, other types of biometrics technology have also emerged. In August of this year, PayPal, the world's largest online payment company and eBay’s subsidiary, announced the launch of “face recognition” payment system in 12 shopping malls in the Richmond district of River Thames in the UK, in an attempt to make “brushing” consumption a new trend. . According to the introduction, under this smart payment system, after shoppers enter a store that supports “face recognition” payment, they only need to click on the name and pay for the purchase item through a smart phone equipped with PayPal. At this time, the user’s name and photo and consumption The amount appears on the mall's payment system. After verifying personal information with the customer, the cashier can click on the user's photo to send a payment instruction and the entire purchase process is completed. At present, there are many models of Android smartphones that support face recognition and unlock. The popular Internet applications QQ and NetEase mailboxes also start to use face recognition login.

In addition, a startup company called EyeVerify in the United States is using the principle that "everyone's eyes have different textures" to create a brand-new security software that turns our eyes into another unique The "password". According to reports, software developed by EyeVerify can identify the user's identity through the eye pattern (ie, the white-white texture structure). Everyone has four eye lines, one eye and two on both sides of the iris. EyeVerify claims that this identification technology is as accurate as a fingerprint or iris scan and does not require any proprietary hardware.

Another Canadian company called Bionym developed a wristband called Nymi that can monitor the wearer's unique heartbeat mode and unlock smart phones, tablets, game consoles and cars. It can even Used to pay when shopping, or to replace the credit card PIN code. Bionym's co-founder, Futeni Agrafiti, said that Nymi “can not only recognize heartbeats but also adopt heartbeat patterns” to identify people. He said that in the past 50 years, cardiologists have clearly known that, like fingerprints, everyone's heartbeat is unique. Compared with fingerprint recognition, the heartbeat pattern recognition technology is more secure because "the fingerprint can be copied with the gel or collected from the surface where the finger touches, but the heartbeat is not copyable."

This is not the most exotic. At the D11 conference in June last year, Regina Dugan, Motorola's Director of Mobility Special Projects, provided two innovative alternatives to passwords. One is an electronic pill that turns the human body into a password: users can take pills. Direct swallowing, and then use the stomach acid to generate 18-bit body signal, the entire body into a password; the other is an electronic tattoo, can replace the traditional password authentication. "The emergence of so many emerging technology solutions is not an impulse. With the ever-increasing digitization of human life, the challenges of information security will always exist. However, as encryption technology continues to upgrade, it will make users safer but more simple. Use has also become critical, this is our actual demand, it is also an emerging market with great potential, science and technology industry can not let go." Zhang Yi said.