Biometrics at ATMs: Iris Recognition Tech

"ATM Biometrics Coming to a Corner Store Near You!"
Info Carnivore (August 24, 2010)

"Looks like ATM machines around North America are due for a security upgrade. This year Barnaby Jack demonstrated both local and remote ATM attacks at Black Hat 2010, and showed how easy it could be to hack an ATM and make it spit cash. Barnaby Jack also revealed a multi-platform ATM rootkit and discussed protection mechanisms that ATM manufacturers can implement to safeguard against these attacks.

"Biometric Iris Scanners Coming to A Corner Store Near You!

"One protection mechanism that we are now seeing become reality is biometrics. Although it has been in the works for years, it looks like all the futuristic spy movies we watched as kids are coming true as biometric iris scanning ATM machines are looming on the horizon, and in some parts of the world already in action. Of course you're not likely to see one in your local corner store just yet, but they may well be coming soon! According to Jeff Carter of Global Rainmakers Inc. we're all going to be connected to the iris system within the next decade...."

Well, it's about time!

I've lived in a small town in central Minnesota for over 20 years, and all but the youngest folks in checkout lines recognize me. Sometimes their automated system says they're supposed to verify my credit card: but generally my ID is my face.

By the standards of some folks, there's an appalling lack of "privacy" here. I see it as being part of a community - and that's another topic.

This iris-recognition technology will, I'm quite confident, cause problems.

Or, rather, people will use it to cause problems. Any time you've got human beings involved in something, sooner or later there's going to be trouble.

The technology, though, is the sort of thing I've been looking forward to for years. In principle, someone could forge my credit card and use it.

Eventually, someone's going to find a way of finding out what my iris looks like and be able to forge it. But until that happens, I think this sort of biometric identification technology will make identity theft a whole lot harder.

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A tip of the hat to danielsnyder1, on Twitter, for the heads-up on his article.