Items tagged with windows hello
Technology companies sometimes talk about wanting to move on from passwords in favor of other authentication methods, with biometric security leading the way. But are biometric methods really secure? Researchers from Cisco's Talos division put fingerprint scanning under the microscope, and found some interesting shortcomings. Fingerprint scanners are in lots of places these days. Your smartphone probably has one, assuming it is relatively modern. So do encrypted USB devices, padlocks, and laptops, including Apple's MacBook Pro and a bunch of Windows system equipped with support for Windows Hello (which can include other security methods as well). Now here is what's frightening—in its testing,...
Read more...
Microsoft is rolling out a new Windows 10 test build to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. The new build (18936) contains a few new noteworthy features, the most interesting of which is a passwordless login. Not every Windows Insider will see the setting, however, as Microsoft is limiting the roll out to a "small portion" of users in the early going. Insiders can enable the feature by going to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and selecting On under Make your device passwordless. "Enabling passwordless sign in will switch all Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device to modern authentication with Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or PIN. Don’t have Windows Hello set up yet?...
Read more...
How good are you at remembering passwords? If you're like most computer users, probably not very good at all. Given the dozens (or more) websites that we interact with on a daily basis, remembering long and complicated passwords can be a chore. Some users take advantage of browser autofill technology to help take the sting out of remembering tedious passwords, while others simply use the same basic, insecure password for every secure site that they visit. Those in the latter category are prone to being compromised, as we've recently reported. Given how insecure passwords have become these days, Microsoft is trying to push us towards what it thinks is a viable alternative. The answer, of course,...
Read more...
If you're running an older version of Windows 10, and make heavy use of Windows Hello to login to your PC, you might want to consider moving to the latest build. Researchers from German security firm SYSS have discovered that the Windows Hello biometric authentication system can be defeated using a printed-out picture. We should mention that while the is a serious security breach, it requires a bit of work to successfully accomplish. A close-up, high-resolution image of the target's face must first be captured with a near-infrared camera (that's the first hurdle). The captured image then forms the basis for tricking the near-infrared cameras that are embedded in modern notebooks to support Windows...
Read more...
Microsoft has quietly launched a new keyboard for desktop computers (or your docked notebook/convertible). Called the Modern Keyboard, the peripheral is an evolution of the existing Surface Keyboard with two key differences. The first is the integration of biometric authentication. Microsoft has incorporated what it calls a hidden fingerprint sensor or “Fingerprint ID” on the aluminum keyboard. We don’t know if we can really call it hidden given that the dedicated sensor is embedded into a key that is etched with a representative fingerprint. As you might expect, this functionality integrates with Windows Hello in Windows 10, allowing you to unlock your computer with a single keypress....
Read more...
Using Windows Hello, a feature Microsoft introduced with Windows 10, you can log into your system (assuming it's compatible) with your face or your fingerprint. It's a nifty alternative to hammering out a password, but it could also be more secure. In an effort to make it so, Microsoft was recently granted a patent related to iris recognition that could be used in future Windows devices, including smartphones, tablets, 2-in-1 systems, and so forth. Microsoft's patented technology also includes "liveness testing," which means the iris recognition process would be able to tell when there is a real eyeball staring into the camera versus a photograph of an eyeball or some other form of "spoof data."...
Read more...
Acer has a new laptop line for small and medium sized business professionals looking for a thin and light solution that blends style with modern technology. It's the new TravelMate X3 series, the first of which is the TravelMate X349 bound in an brushed aluminum chassis that measures less 0.7 inches thin and weighs just 3.3 pounds. Underneath the hood you'll find Intel's 6th Generation Core processor technology based on Skylake powering the 14-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) In-Plane Switching (IPS) display. It also boasts up to 8GB of DDR4 memory and up to 512GB of solid state drive storage, along with an integrated touch fingerprint sensor supporting Windows Hello for fast and secure sign-ins,...
Read more...
Microsoft had plenty to say about Windows 10 during its Build Conference on Wednesday. One of them is that its latest OS is now installed on more than 270 million active devices, an adoption rate that outpaces Windows 7 in the same time frame by 145 percent. That's impressive, but 270 million installs is far from the end game—Microsoft is eyeing 1 billion installs within the next few years. The Redmond outfit will need to continually improve Windows 10 in order to get there, and come this summer, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update will introduce several nifty features to keep those upgrades from tapering off. Part of the focus with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is on biometric security. According...
Read more...
Synaptics was been working on a comprehensive, yet simple to use, fingerprint authentication technology that the company hopes will make a big splash with gamers and corporate users alike. Although it’s had a couple of names over the last year or so, Synaptics’ upcoming IronVeil technology -- as it is now known -- is just about ready for prime time. We’ve had the chance to play with a pre-production Ttesports Black V2 mouse featuring IronVeil for a couple of weeks and definitely think the technology has merit, for a few reasons.IronVeil is really a combination of hardware and software. The IronVeil fingerprint sensor is designed to be integrated into the body of a mouse, located where a user’s...
Read more...
We’ve seen a little bit of movement in the pocket-sized computing space over the past year. Intel introduced us to the concept with its Compute Stick, while Lenovo and ASUS both delivered their own competition solutions with the ideacenter Stick 300 and VivoStick respectively. Now there’s a newcomer to the market, and it comes from an unlikely company. InFocus, a company better known for its projectors, has announced the Kangaroo, which is a portable Windows 10 “desktop” PC. Like the aforementioned PC sticks, the Kangaroo features Intel power — in this case, an Intel Cherry Trail-based Atom Z8500 with 2GB of RAM — 32GB of internal storage, microSDXC slot (which supports up to 128GB), dual-band...
Read more...
With Windows 10 (and the right hardware), you can skip the traditional password or even a fingerprint scanner and have the OS log you in simply by scanning your face. It’s an intriguing new feature and Microsoft has been touting it as a secure, convenient way to log in. The face scanning tool is part of Windows Hello, which also features fingerprint scanning and the ordinary password login. To see just how sensitive the software/hardware combo really is, Senior Technology Journalist Chris Griffith at The Australian tested Windows Hello’s ability to recognize identical twins. The test involved a laptop running Windows 10 and boasting an Intel RealSense camera, which is required for the Windows...
Read more...
We’ve already told you about Microsoft’s multi-million-dollar ad campaign that will kick off the launch of Windows 10. The Redmond, Washington-based software giant got the ball rolling with its "10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10: IT'S FAMILIAR” ad late last night. However, Microsoft is also breaking out the big guns with a series of five new ads that are sure to may you go “awwwwwww.” That’s right, Microsoft has resorted to using adorable babies to promote Windows 10, and it just might work – heck, anything is better than this trainwreck. Microsoft is touting a new generation of Windows users that won’t have to deal with the rigmarole that has often plagued Windows users in the past. The new...
Read more...
I’m all of a sudden having flashbacks to Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo, “Hello.” Microsoft is once again spilling the beans on upcoming features for its next generation Windows 10 operating system and the latest addition is Windows Hello. Windows Hello can scan your face, fingerprint, or iris to unlock your machine, negating the need to type in a password. While fingerprint recognition is old hat these days (even today’s flagship smartphones ship with fingerprint sensors), unlocking your desktop, laptop, or tablet by fixating on your face or iris is a bit more intriguing, and will no doubt raise security concerns. The first thought that comes to mind regarding security is if someone would simply be able...
Read more...
