鈥淒igital security鈥� has just acquired a whole new meaning.
Fingerprint scanners are increasingly used to control access to buildings, devices and services, but fingerprints can be stolen by physically 鈥渓ifting鈥� them or by hacking into the biometric code stored on a device such as a laptop.
To prevent stolen prints being used to access bank accounts or computer files, London-based company fingerPIN has developed a security system that combines fingerprint recognition with a version of the traditional PIN 鈥� using a series of fingers rather than numbers.
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Users register four prints in a sequence known only to themselves. So even if a thief were to steal a person鈥檚 prints, they would still not know the correct sequence. The company and a UK retailer will conduct a trial of the fingerPIN system later this year.
