September 24, 2015
A government database containing the
fingerprints of 5.6 million people was hacked. Since there is a trend toward
using fingerprints as a security measure for bank accounts, phones, and other
personal information, this is a cause for concern.
The good news is that the number of
accounts that the prints could currently be used to access is relatively small.
The better news is that this is just one
more reminder that no security system is foolproof; so anybody who designs such
systems is set for life.
As I’m
thinking about it: Things on file—fingerprints, signatures, retinal scans—are hackable.
Things not on file—locks—can be picked.
The
only thing I can think of is some Star Trek-type scenario where a person’s
electrical field is infused into the item as it’s being manufactured. Nothing
on file. It would wreak havoc on the assembly line, and you’d have to wait
forever for a replacement; but lots of jobs would be created.
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