Bruce makes the Times

[lsanderson]

Novelties
The Door Key That Can’t Be Misplaced
By ANNE EISENBERG

IT’S a common juggling act on the doorstep: rummaging for the house keys with one hand while balancing a bag of groceries with the other. Now a manufacturer is aiming to streamline household entry with a deadbolt lock that reduces the need to fish for keys. Instead, the lock opens with the swipe of a finger.

The lock is a scanner that stores the fingerprints of authorized users. If your print matches the stored ones, the bolt slides open smartly with a crisp, satisfying clack, welcoming you home the biometric way. More

Bruce Schneier, founder and chief technical officer of the security company BT Counterpane in Mountain View, Calif., says that while biometric locks may not be appropriate for guarding Air Force One, they are suitable for use in homes.

“Honestly, who’s going to get a photo of your fingerprint to trick the scanner?” he said. “If I had a photo of your key, I could fool your lock. I can also get a rock and throw it in your window.”

Biometric door locks have an advantage, he said, because they store information locally, not centrally, where it might be hacked. “The fingerprint reader says, ‘Yes, it’s you,’ ” he said, just as other such readers can do for applications like authorizing owners of cellphones and computers. “It’s a great idea,” he said. “I’m amazed there aren’t more of them.”

Comments

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

"I can also get a rock and throw it in your window."

Right. Keep Bruce away from rocks!

[jbru.livejournal.com]

And windows!

[aelburr.livejournal.com]

Trouble is, they are easy to fool.

Where would they get a copy of your print? How about right off the pad that reads it... Or the knob, or your car door or...

neat idea, too easy to beat.