No, Windows Hello has nothing to do with Firefox Hello. For years, biometric authentication was synonymous with science fiction movies. But biometric technology is now with us thanks to the Touch ID fingerprint sensors used in the latest iPhones and iPads.
When Windows 10 is released this fall, Microsoft also plans to use biometric technology. The new operating system will support biometric authentication, and as the company states, “using your face, iris, or your fingerprints you will be able to unlock your devices … with a technology that is much more secure than traditional passwords.”»
Today at the WinHEC in China, Microsoft executives showed off a new feature called Windows Hello. It sounds like Microsoft's answer to Touch ID, and it's a biometric authentication technology that uses a fingerprint reader, or an illuminated infrared sensor, or other biometric sensors to provide instant access to a device running Windows 10.
However, this platform has greater ambitions. It is based on a new API that carries the familiar code name «Passport». The Passport framework will allow system administrators, developers, and website admins to provide a more secure alternative solution for passwords. During the authentication process, there will be no password that needs to be sent over wires or via remote servers, the two most common avenues for security breaches.
Most likely, it will be the Next Generation credential feature that has been built into the Windows 10 previews since last October, but it is not yet available for use. The Microsoft video provides some additional details.
youtube.com/watch?v=1AsoSnOmhvU
Microsoft says the new Windows Hello will offer "enterprise-grade security" and will be suitable for use by government agencies and companies in defense, finance, healthcare, and other regulated industries.
The new "Passport" APIs will be able to work seamlessly with enterprise Azure Active Directory services, and as Microsoft says, it will also work with services thatsupport FIDO.
To prevent common spoofing techniques, Microsoft says the newWindows Hello will use "a combination of special hardware and software to accurately identify and verify the owner of a photo or someone trying to impersonate them. The cameras will use infrared technology for facial or iris recognition and will be able to recognize you in all lighting conditions."
Naturally, this feature also requires support from appropriate hardware. Microsoft, however, states that the new feature will be available for new devices with Windows 10 when the operating system is released later this fall. The company notes that OEM systems that incorporate Intel's RealSense 3D camera (F200) will support face and iris scanning for Windows Hello, for automatic device unlocking as well as automatic sign‑in to Windows without the need for a PIN.»
Additionally, as reported by ZDNet, devices that already have a fingerprint reader will be able to use Windows Hello.
Source: secnews.gr
