****CyberWatch Security With Face Recognition 08/07/96

WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1996 AUG 7 (NB) -- By Bob Woods.  
A person's face may become much more valuable than providing good 
looks to everyone who sees him or her. That's because Miros Inc. 
has developed a new software product that uses face recognition 
to access secured areas on a network. 

Miros' "TrueFace CyberWatch" is described as the first product of its  
kind that controls access to secured data by using facial lines. The 
technology is based on neural networks technology invented by Miros 
President Michael Kuperstein and the company's Dr. James Kottas, 
and developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

Variability of people's faces is overcome in determining whether an  
actual face is the same or different than a face image that was 
previously stored. 

TrueFace CyberWatch uses Miros' software and a small video camera on  
top of the computer monitor to verify computer users when they 
try to access protected data. TrueFace "snaps" a picture of the current 
computer operator and compares it to images in a database of authorized 
users. Continued spot checks are taken to ensure the same user is 
at the computer. 

Some of the information that can be protected includes medical,  
financial, criminal, or military records, officials said. The system 
requires no training, is fast to use, and cannot be fooled by holding 
up a photo of a person. 

This technology has been used in other situations, including the  
securing of buildings or special areas, officials said. 

TrueFace CyberWatch is compatible with PC client/server standards and  
can be used alone or with other security programs, officials said. 

The client runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems, and  
costs $199. A bundle package, which includes a Connectix camera and 
the software, is priced at $298. Both products will be shipping 
within the next two months, officials said. 

(19960807/Press Contact: Christine Sheroff, Sheroff & Associates,  
508-435-3306)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          SANDY SANDFORT
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C'punks,

On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Joseph M. Reagle Jr. wrote:

> TrueFace CyberWatch uses Miros' software and a small video
> camera on top of the computer monitor to verify computer users
> when they try to access protected data. TrueFace "snaps" a
> picture of the current computer operator and compares it to
> images in a database of authorized users. Continued spot checks
> are taken to ensure the same user is at the computer...and
> cannot be fooled by holding up a photo of a person. 
 
How about substituting a video tape of an authorized user for 
the camera input?  (Hey, it worked on the old Mission Impossible
show and a whole slew of movies.)


 S a n d y

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Sandy Sandfort wrote:

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>                           SANDY SANDFORT
>  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> 
> C'punks,
> 
> On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Joseph M. Reagle Jr. wrote:
> 
> > TrueFace CyberWatch uses Miros' software and a small video
> > camera on top of the computer monitor to verify computer users
> > when they try to access protected data. TrueFace "snaps" a
> > picture of the current computer operator and compares it to
> > images in a database of authorized users. Continued spot checks
> > are taken to ensure the same user is at the computer...and
> > cannot be fooled by holding up a photo of a person. 
>  
> How about substituting a video tape of an authorized user for 
> the camera input?  (Hey, it worked on the old Mission Impossible
> show and a whole slew of movies.)

Or a very accurate movie style mask?

> 
>  S a n d y
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--
I hate lightning - finger for public key - Vote Monarchist
unicorn@schloss.li

> 
> Some of the information that can be protected includes medical,  
> financial, criminal, or military records, officials said. The system 
> requires no training, is fast to use, and cannot be fooled by holding 
> up a photo of a person. 
> 
> This technology has been used in other situations, including the  
> securing of buildings or special areas, officials said. 
> 
> TrueFace CyberWatch is compatible with PC client/server standards and  
> can be used alone or with other security programs, officials said. 
> 
> The client runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems, and  
> costs $199. A bundle package, which includes a Connectix camera and 
> the software, is priced at $298. Both products will be shipping 
> within the next two months, officials said. 

Useless system for any high security application. May be good for
low-security applications if you are dealing with people who are too
stupid to use tokens.

The reality is that people do not treat their faces like secret keys
(depending on sex, religous beliefs and how many warts they may have). A
regular photo may not fool the device, however one specifically developed
for the purpose may, or if the device has some sort of depth perception,
a hologram or modeled head - all of which can be obtained from publically
availabe data - your face.

-- 
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely  exercised for the good of its victims  
 may be the most  oppressive.  It may be better to live under  robber barons  
 than  under  omnipotent  moral busybodies,  The robber baron's  cruelty may  
 sometimes sleep,  his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who  
 torment us for own good  will torment us  without end,  for they do so with 
 the approval of their own conscience."    -   C.S. Lewis, _God in the Dock_ 
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