Brainprints May Someday Replace Fingerprints and Passwords
While you’re still typing “11111111” for your password and waiting
for reliable fingerprint scanners, the government and paranoid
businesses are already using iris scanners and facial recognition
systems for security. But the truly next-generation and potentially
foolproof security systems may be based on brainprints. What are they,
how do they work and when can we get them?
Passwords are becoming obsolete
Assistant Professor of Psychology Sarah Laszlo and Assistant
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Zhanpeng Jin,
researchers at Binghamton University in New York, have developed
a security system based in brain imaging called Brainprint. It utilizes
an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap that reads brain responses to
stimuli. Lazlo and Jin found that individuals have unique responses to
various photographic images. Using a large set of these responses, they
developed a unique “brainprint” that they believe is foolproof.
In their tests, Lazlo and Jin showed a rapid stream (2 per second) of
images (celebrity photos, words, landmarks, etc.) to subjects wearing
the EEG cap. Because of their backgrounds and experiences, most people
react to the images differently. Someone who was bitten by a dog has
different reactions to puppies than dog lovers. Using just 500 images,
the software developed by the researchers was able to correctly identify
one person out of 30 100% of the time.
Iris scanners are so last month
What about hacking? Couldn’t someone with super mind control (a yogi
perhaps) match the brainprint of another person? The researchers tested
the system by flashing a light at two people wearing the EEG caps to see
if their brain responses would eventually match. They didn’t. They also
tested the subjects under stress and found that their brain reactions
to the same images changed, meaning a person in a stressful situation
(like having a gun pointed at them) might not be able to access their
ATM if it were reading brainprints instead of pin numbers.
How about if your brainprint is somehow stolen? The team says you can just use a different set of images and create a new one.
Will you ever be able to log on with your brain?
So when will we have brain caps attached to our smart phones, doors
and ATMs? Not anytime soon. The tests were based on a small group, the
hacking test was limited and it will take a long time to have large
numbers of people view the images and build the databases. Plus there’s
the cap, which messes your hair up a lot more than fingerprint, iris or
facial scanners. Lazlo and Jin see the system being used for checkpoints
at high-security locations like the Pentagon, super-secret research
centers, nuclear facilities and the like.
While you’re waiting for your brainprint cap, go change your passwords.
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