FB pixel

Windows 10 to feature biometric verification system, password-free identification

Categories Access Control  |  Biometrics News  |  Trade Notes
 

The upcoming release of Windows 10 will feature Microsoft’s new biometric security system Hello, which will allow users to unlock their phone, tablet or PC by scanning their face, eyeball or fingerprints, according to a report by the Financial Review.

Microsoft announced details about the new Hello feature on the Windows blog, in which Microsoft corporate vice president Joe Belfiore said that the biometric system will enable you to “just show your face, or touch your finger, to new devices running Windows 10 and be immediately recognized”.

Set for release at some point near the end of the year, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for all existing Windows 8 and Windows 7 users.

The new security system will be able to use existing fingerprint readers on PCs, but will not work with regular webcams or front-facing cameras on Windows Phone devices.

Windows 10 users will need to purchase a special infrared light camera for their device to take advantage of iris- and face-recognition capabilities.

In addition to Windows 10 not requiring passwords for login, the new operating system will not send user passwords over the Internet to log into sites or apps.

Instead, Windows 10 will have a new feature called Passport which will send out the user’s identity over the Internet without also sending a password that could be easily compromised.

Though the blog is unclear as to how Passport actually works, the Financial Review report states that it will likely be “some sort of cryptographic handshake that takes place, that uses an identity established on a device (either with Hello or some other login mechanism) to identify a user to another device or service.”

Initially, the feature will only work with sites and apps that use a Microsoft cloud backend.

However, Microsoft will eventually expand its usability so that it can work with any site or app that adheres to the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance specification for password-free authentication.

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Biometrics providers and systems evolve or get left behind

Biometrics are allowing people to prove who they are, speeding journeys through airports, and enabling anonymous online proof of age,…

 

Findynet funding development of six digital wallet solutions

Finnish public-private cooperative Findynet has announced it will award 60,000 euros (US$69,200) to six digital wallet vendors to help translate…

 

Patchwork of age check, online safety legislation grows across US

As the U.S. waits for the Supreme Court’s opinion on the Texas case of Paxton v. Free Speech Coalition, which…

 

AVPA laud findings from age assurance tech trial

The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), and several of its members, have welcomed the publication of preliminary findings from the…

 

Sri Lanka to launch govt API policies and guidelines

Sri Lanka’s government, in the wake of its digital economy drive, is gearing up to release application programming interface (API)…

 

Netherlands’ asylum seeker ID cards from Idemia use vertical ICAO format

The Netherlands will introduce new identity documents for asylum seekers Idemia Smart Identity, compliant with the ICAO specification for vertical…

Comments

13 Replies to “Windows 10 to feature biometric verification system, password-free identification”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Biometric Market Analysis

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events