The US military is investing many millions of dollars in a biometric recognition system (Cognitive Fingerprints) which could replace traditional passwords for Internet users.
As reported by Sky News, the US Army has signed a multi-million dollar deal with researchers at the military academy at West Point. The team of researchers is working on so-called “cognitive fingerprints”, or Cognitive Fingerprints, which use not only physical characteristics to identify someone, but also behavioral characteristics.
The researchers at West Point hope to develop cognitive fingerprint algorithms that learn to recognize behavior patterns based on how someone uses their mobile device. This means that the algorithm will recognize how someone handles the smartphone screen, and how they move the cursor. All these patterns are identified and will be applied in order to verify the user's identity.
In a publication the researchers explain:
“Exactly as when you touch something with your finger you leave behind a fingerprint, when you interact with technology you create a behavior pattern based on how your mind processes information. Thus you leave behind the “cognitive fingerprints.”
If the project is successfully developed, this identity recognition technology appears to be much more secure than traditional passwords or the more modern two-factor authentication.
The army hopes that the Cognitive Fingerprints system can be developed and applied to encrypted data communications in its service networks as part of the programmes of the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
