Hoyos Labs makes its flagship biometric application free

Hoyos Labs recently announced that its 1U app is now available free of charge.

Previously, under 1U’s 30-day trial period, consumers could download 1U for free for access to unlimited Web sites on unlimited mobile devices and computers for only 30 days. After the trial period expired, consumers could purchase a one-year license for US$49.99 or a monthly license for US$9.99, both of which allowed users to access unlimited Web sites on unlimited mobile devices and computers.

Beginning in January 2015 however, the 1U app is completely free. The company announced that if existing clients had paid for a subscription by credit card, they would receive a refund.

1U works to convert a consumer’s biometrics profile into their own personal login codes, replacing usernames and passwords for access to multiple Web sites. 1U is designed to work with more than 15,000 Web sites, including Facebook, Gmail, Twitter and even online banking accounts.

“Starting in January, Hoyos Labs will be providing our unique 1U App to you absolutely free of charge,” stated Hector Hoyos, CEO of Hoyos Labs.”At Hoyos Labs we believe the time has come to permanently eradicate passwords, because as long as passwords exist, users will not be safe.”

1U requires a mobile device with a working front facing camera and a working accelerometer.

An accelerometer is a sensor that has been present since the original iPhone, which detects a mobile device’s acceleration, shake, vibration shock, or fall through detecting linear acceleration. 1U works with Wi-Fi or mobile data service (3G and faster) and has been tested with iPhone 5 series & iPhone 6 Series phones, along with Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5, Nexus 5 and HTC ONE M8 devices.

For security reasons, 1U doesn’t work on jail-broken iOS devices.

Hoyos Labs argues that passwords are inherently flawed as a security measure because they can be lost, stolen and forgotten. Additionally, typing a password into a log-in screen enables other people to see it or hackers to steal what is typed. 1U safeguards personal data by replacing the password with a unique biometric profile. This takes the inconvenience and risk out of usernames and passwords by storing them in an encrypted format on a mobile device, and not on an external server.

1U claims it uses the strongest encryption method available today, which is the 571bit Elliptic Curve Cipher. This provides security beyond military grade encryption and safety. Additionally, Hoyos Labs claims that biometric information and passwords are encrypted and only stored on the mobile device, not anywhere else. As a consequence, 1U never sends personal information outbound. Profiles remain on the mobile device.

Hoyos Labs notes it has been working with many global organizations to deploy its technology to kill the password, personal identification numbers (PINs), and tokens over the last month. BiometricUpdate.com first reported the release of Hoyos Labs’ 1U application in December 2014.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Hoyos Labs  |  passwords  |  security