When I wrote about current biometric security devices recently, I was a bit disappointed that the security on these devices wasn't that robust. (Actually, Fujitsu's PalmSecure sounds pretty sharp, so I shouldn't group that with the other technologies.) But shortly after that article was published, I was contacted by Stephen Nation with Nation Technologies, a small start-up that specializes in a biometric-based security product called BIOWRAP.

Unlike a lot of the current biometric products, which offer convenience and a little bit of security (plus some added risk), BIOWRAP is all business when it comes to security. It offers two-factor authentication (username/password and fingerprint recognition), and it has an extensive verification process, which I'll get to. Finally, another advantage of BIOWRAP is that it offers one central management infrastructure for the biometric identity, versus having a bunch of separate biometric identities (which is just as confusing as today's username/password situation.) 

"The biometrics market today is focused on biometrics simply as a matter of convenience. I mentioned facility control and access management—that's really a convenience. Yes you have an additional level of security and transparency, but it conveniently allows you to get access to the door, or log in to your PC, but outside that transaction there's no value to the biometrics. And I say that because it's typically a self-enrolled or admistrative-enrolled biometric, and outside that enterprise or PC there's no true value to it. And it requires every time you perform a transaction in a separate system, you have to do another enrollment. So we get back to this same model where you have 10 identities, or 10 biometric identities, that are all credentialed, as opposed to having a single source of identity," said Nation.

Symantec Will Acquire VeriSign's Security Business

Preventing Security Holes from Social Networks

With Facebook announcing its instant personalization idea (a concept to let websites include widgets displaying what your Facebook friends think about topics related to the website content), yet another long, hard, look at security in our new web age seems in order.

It's gotten to a point where security is so lax that it almost seems irrelevant, like a subconscious acceptance of open season for hackers and criminals from here on out. And expecting governments and corporations to create some form of "silver bullet" solution that will solve all our security problems is, well, unrealistic.

No, the onus is on us to take this seriously. While many of us are fortunate enough to not have ever been a personal victim of identity theft or computer hacking, it's no excuse to wait until it's too late to get smart.

I discussed security best practices with Robert Sugrue, managing director for Insite Security, a company that helps high-profile individuals (executives and government officials) protect themselves. Here are a few simple takeaways. 

McAfee's svchost.exe SNAFU

Security Recommendations for Microsoft's .NET Framework 4.0

Coinciding with today’s release of the final version of Microsoft’s .NET Framework 4.0, V.i. Laboratories makes certain recommendations regarding the security of applications developed on the framework. V.i. Labs advises independent software vendors (ISVs) and application developers to ensure that they have security technology in place to prevent hackers, competitors, partners, and software pirates from accessing sensitive intellectual property (IP) embedded in the .NET code and tampering with deployed applications.

Which Security Threats Put Your Organization Most at Risk?

Sophos identified 5 major IT security threats for 2009. How accurate was the company’s 2009 Security Threat Report? Which security threats put your organization most at risk?

Posted @ 1/27/2010 2:15 PM By lpeters

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