Many people wonder how much of their information is being stored in a system during fingerprint authentication. Will someone steal it? This worry will no longer be a concern in the future. A team of researchers has developed a new biometric authentication technology that captures fingerprints using ultrasound, but completes identification without storing their data.
Fingerprint biometric authentication is used in many countries around the world, including India.
People place their finger or thumb on the device for various purposes, from unlocking smartphones to online payments and office attendance.
The challenge is that if fingerprint data is leaked, it cannot be changed. In contrast, passwords are easily changed.
According to a Tech Explore report, whenever a person places their finger on a phone or anywhere else, the fingerprint sensor creates a digital structure of the person’s finger or thumb. This is then compared to the previously stored fingerprint. When the two match, the device unlocks.
The problem with current fingerprint technology is that people have to place their finger or thumb every time. If a hacker attacks the device at that time, the fingerprint could be stolen. Once stolen, a person’s fingerprint cannot be changed.
In the future, fingerprint authentication may be possible using ultrasound. Researchers have eliminated the system of digitally storing and comparing fingerprints. In the new technology, a person’s identity is achieved by connecting ultrasound and the finger. When the correct person places their finger, the waves will travel to the registered area, and when the wrong person places their fingerprint, the waves will travel to the non-registered area. The unique feature of this technology is that no digital image or data of the finger or thumb will be created, leaving nothing for hackers to steal.
Researchers tested this technology 192 times on the fingerprints of four people. The system achieved 97.92% accuracy. When the technology was tested on a large global fingerprint database, its accuracy for a registered user reached 99.75 percent. This means that the registered user was verified every time.
If this technology becomes a reality in the future, it could lead to an entirely new system, and people’s fingerprints will remain secure and unseen.