****CyberWatch Security With Face Recognition 08/07/96
WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1996 AUG 7 (NB) -- By Bob Woods. A person's face may become much more valuable than providing good looks to everyone who sees him or her. That's because Miros Inc. has developed a new software product that uses face recognition to access secured areas on a network. Miros' "TrueFace CyberWatch" is described as the first product of its kind that controls access to secured data by using facial lines. The technology is based on neural networks technology invented by Miros President Michael Kuperstein and the company's Dr. James Kottas, and developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Variability of people's faces is overcome in determining whether an actual face is the same or different than a face image that was previously stored. TrueFace CyberWatch uses Miros' software and a small video camera on top of the computer monitor to verify computer users when they try to access protected data. TrueFace "snaps" a picture of the current computer operator and compares it to images in a database of authorized users. Continued spot checks are taken to ensure the same user is at the computer. Some of the information that can be protected includes medical, financial, criminal, or military records, officials said. The system requires no training, is fast to use, and cannot be fooled by holding up a photo of a person. This technology has been used in other situations, including the securing of buildings or special areas, officials said. TrueFace CyberWatch is compatible with PC client/server standards and can be used alone or with other security programs, officials said. The client runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems, and costs $199. A bundle package, which includes a Connectix camera and the software, is priced at $298. Both products will be shipping within the next two months, officials said. (19960807/Press Contact: Christine Sheroff, Sheroff & Associates, 508-435-3306)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SANDY SANDFORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C'punks, On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Joseph M. Reagle Jr. wrote:
TrueFace CyberWatch uses Miros' software and a small video camera on top of the computer monitor to verify computer users when they try to access protected data. TrueFace "snaps" a picture of the current computer operator and compares it to images in a database of authorized users. Continued spot checks are taken to ensure the same user is at the computer...and cannot be fooled by holding up a photo of a person.
How about substituting a video tape of an authorized user for the camera input? (Hey, it worked on the old Mission Impossible show and a whole slew of movies.) S a n d y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Sandy Sandfort wrote:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SANDY SANDFORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C'punks,
On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Joseph M. Reagle Jr. wrote:
TrueFace CyberWatch uses Miros' software and a small video camera on top of the computer monitor to verify computer users when they try to access protected data. TrueFace "snaps" a picture of the current computer operator and compares it to images in a database of authorized users. Continued spot checks are taken to ensure the same user is at the computer...and cannot be fooled by holding up a photo of a person.
How about substituting a video tape of an authorized user for the camera input? (Hey, it worked on the old Mission Impossible show and a whole slew of movies.)
Or a very accurate movie style mask?
S a n d y
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-- I hate lightning - finger for public key - Vote Monarchist unicorn@schloss.li
Some of the information that can be protected includes medical, financial, criminal, or military records, officials said. The system requires no training, is fast to use, and cannot be fooled by holding up a photo of a person.
This technology has been used in other situations, including the securing of buildings or special areas, officials said.
TrueFace CyberWatch is compatible with PC client/server standards and can be used alone or with other security programs, officials said.
The client runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems, and costs $199. A bundle package, which includes a Connectix camera and the software, is priced at $298. Both products will be shipping within the next two months, officials said.
Useless system for any high security application. May be good for low-security applications if you are dealing with people who are too stupid to use tokens. The reality is that people do not treat their faces like secret keys (depending on sex, religous beliefs and how many warts they may have). A regular photo may not fool the device, however one specifically developed for the purpose may, or if the device has some sort of depth perception, a hologram or modeled head - all of which can be obtained from publically availabe data - your face. -- "Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies, The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis, _God in the Dock_ +---------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+ |Julian Assange RSO | PO Box 2031 BARKER | Secret Analytic Guy Union | |proff@suburbia.net | VIC 3122 AUSTRALIA | finger for PGP key hash ID = | |proff@gnu.ai.mit.edu | FAX +61-3-98199066 | 0619737CCC143F6DEA73E27378933690 | +---------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
participants (4)
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Black Unicorn -
Julian Assange -
reagle＠rpcp.mit.edu -
Sandy Sandfort