Online storage of your passwords and access via Fingerprint (work, security, browser)

[ragnarkar]

Does this sort of technology exist (yet)?

Basically, it'll be a site that stores all of your online passwords.. preferably, it should have a browser addon where you can have it access the password site to find your password if you can't remember it.

In order to log in to the site to retrieve all of your passwords, you need a fingerprint reader (instead of one password.. if that's all that needed and someone finds that password, you are DEAD..)

[Tek_Freek]

I'll just cut off your fingers

[thecoalman]

You can use something like keepass, the executable and data file can be stored on a thumb drive.

KeePass Password Safe

[macroy]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

Does this sort of technology exist (yet)?

Basically, it'll be a site that stores all of your online passwords.. preferably, it should have a browser addon where you can have it access the password site to find your password if you can't remember it.

In order to log in to the site to retrieve all of your passwords, you need a fingerprint reader (instead of one password.. if that's all that needed and someone finds that password, you are DEAD..)

Biometrics generally won't work online. You can't validate the input - so its basically the same as a password (except, for a password, its an image of your finger). And what's worse, you can change your password. Can't really change your fingerprint....well... can't can't it more than 10 times.

[dijkstra]

That would never be secure. All someone would have to do is capture the data packet containing your finger print image or even if the finger print image was being converted to some sort of hashed key using an algorithm withing an application, you would still only need the key. To me this entire scenario would be far less secure than simply using a secure password in the first place.

[Skunk Workz]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

That would never be secure. All someone would have to do is capture the data packet containing your finger print image or even if the finger print image was being converted to some sort of hashed key using an algorithm withing an application, you would still only need the key. To me this entire scenario would be far less secure than simply using a secure password in the first place.

Exactly,

Fingerprint readers don't actually keep an image of the fingerprint, they convert it to a unique number that represents your fingerprint, and then use that number. No different than a password.

I also wonder if different biometric scanners use different algorithms, so that each manufacturer would actually create a different number from your fingerprint. If your scanner died then you'd have to replace it with the same one to continue to use your "password". You wouldn't be able to use the reader at the cyber cafe to log into your accounts, unless it was the same brand that was used to create the account.

By themselves biometrics aren't a very good security measure in general. Fingerprint scanners have been beaten again and again, usually by simple things like jello.