veins

Passwords could become a thing of the past if new technology from Intel makes its way to laptops and mobile devices, Reuters reports.

The traditional security method, even when linked to different verification methods, remains an exploit that cybercriminals can pursue. Connectivity online often means that users will keep to the same password, or similar variants -- and once one account is breached, that information can be used to tap into financial information, online payment systems, or sensitive work documents.

But if Intel's prototype "Client-Based Authentication Technology" is successful, biometrics may be the latest defense against cyberattacks.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Restaurant offers a 5 percent discount to eat without your phone.

- China is building an army of noodle-making robots.

- Melky Cabrera (SF Giants) created a fake Web site to explain failing drug tests.

- Infrared palm scanners at elementary school are the Mark of the Beast.

- Teenager uses fake ID with picture of Bobby Hill to buy alcohol at six different shops.… Read more

The family of a British man who died after engaging in marathon Xbox sessions is launching a campaign to raise awareness about the risks of prolonged game and computer use.

Chris Staniforth, 20, of Sheffield died in May after suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), according to autopsy results. A blood clot formed in his left calf and traveled to his lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism.

The Halo fan logged sessions of up to 12 hours on Xbox. He was hoping to start a career in video games, but collapsed outside an employment center after complaining to a friend of chest pain.

"Chris loved to play and would stay up all night," his father David was quoted as saying by BBC News. "Millions of people worldwide are playing these games for hours, and there is a risk.

"After my research I saw there was no difference to Chris sitting at a desk on his Xbox and someone on a long-haul flight," he said, adding that he is setting up a Web site about the DVT awareness campaign. … Read more

Not long after creating a functioning rat lung in her lab, Yale University Professor of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering Laura Niklason is testing bioengineered human veins that could benefit some 500,000 patients a year who need to undergo vascular surgeries such as coronary artery bypass.

The tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) were generated in a bioreactor using a relatively new tissue engineering method called decellularization--a process by which researchers remove a tissue's individual cells while leaving its structure intact. The veins are off the shelf and available at the time of surgery, and are said to be less likely to result in obstruction, clotting, or infection.

The findings, published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine by researchers from East Carolina University, Duke, Yale, and Niklason's company Humacyte, suggest the veins could work in both large- and small-diameter applications (6mm and 3mm), be stored up to 12 months in refrigerated conditions, and provide unobstructed blood flow in large animal models for up to a year.… Read more

Sony is taking biometrics from the surface of the finger to the inside with a new vein authentication technology that could show up on mobile devices within the year.

The compact, camera-based system--called "Mofiria," though we're not sure why--uses a CMOS sensor to diagonally capture scattered light inside the finger veins. Data from the pattern is compressed, making it possible for the information to be stored on gadgets like laptops or cell phones.

Sony says vein authentication technology achieves higher accuracy and produces faster reads than other biometric authentication techniques, such as fingerprint or retinal scans. Finger vein patterns differ from person to person and finger to finger, Sony noted, and do not change over the years. Also, they're much easier to remember than passwords.

Sony claims that false rejection rate for the system is less than 0.1 percent and processing time for identification takes only about 0.015 seconds using a personal computer CPU and about 0.25 seconds using a mobile-phone CPU. … Read more

At RSA 2008 on Monday, Hitachi announced its acquisition of M-Tech. Since last Wednesday, the Canadian ID management company has been using its new name, Hitachi ID Systems.

Forrester Research predicts that the ID and access management market space will grow from $2.6 billion in 2006 to $12.3 billion in 2014, and Hitachi, long known for its security electronics, wants to be a player in the enterprise security market by offering a complete package.

Hitachi currently offers advanced IT authentication with its finger vein biometric devices. Finger vein biometric authentication is used in 80 percent of Japanese ATMs … Read more

Palm-reading is coming to the desktop. Fujitsu's "PalmSecure" mouse may not foretell how long you'll live, but it does promise to provide some security in keeping intruders out of your PC.

The technology, which we first saw more than a year ago before it evolved into a mouse, is finally making its way to the North American market in June. As Engadget notes, it differs from biometric systems of the fingerprint variety by scanning veins, a system that the company claims is faster and more effective.

As for the lack of fortune-telling features, don't worry. … Read more

Good news for people prone to losing their car keys. Someday soon, all you'll need to start the engine will be the veins in your finger.

Japanese electronics giant Hitachi is bringing its finger vein authentication technology to steering wheels, fitting them with a biometric reader that only starts the engine for drivers with recognizable vein patterns.

Veins can also be used as switches for the car stereo and navigation system, reports Pink Tentacle, as well as to identify driver preferences, such as seat and mirror position or air conditioner setting.

Hitachi's system--already used in ATMs, computers and cardless payment systems… Read more

If Fujitsu seems obsessed with the human palm, there's good reason: The company sees it as a key to the future. After experimenting with various forms of its "PalmSecure" technology, the company has come up with a mouse that can double as a palm reader for computer and network security.

Fujitsu calls the device "the world's first mouse capable of scanning the pattern of veins in the user's hand," according to Gizmo Watch. The company claims that palm-reading sensors are easier to use than competing biometric mice that scan fingerprints. We hope they … Read more