Swipe and type

Each person carries the passwords to an estimated average of 20 computer functions and websites around in their head — so it is no wonder they frequently forget them.

One solution would be to use the same password for everything, from contacting your bank to logging on at work, but this isn’t exactly secure. But the alternative, multiple passwords and user names, can be a minefield.

At home, should you forget one, it is all very well to email the website in question for a reminder then wait for an answer. But at work the problem is more than just an annoying inconvenience. Over time it can have a serious economic impact in terms of lost working hours and tying up the IT department’s time.

In an attempt to overcome these problems, biometric fingerprint security specialist Californian company UPEK has come up with an answer — replacing this legion of passwords with the Eikon, a plug-and-play fingerprint scanner that is ergonomically designed to make sure users swipe their fingerprint accurately almost every time.

So impressive is the device that at this year’s International CES consumer innovation show in Las Vegas, it was awarded a Best of Innovations Design and Engineering award in the biometrics category.

The idea behind the Eikon is that it can be used for total password replacement in both home PCs and for company network security. This includes secure mobile transactions, protection of portable data, and even identity verification for government and military applications, as well as physical access control.

This means company IT departments can offer employees an easy-to-use way to authenticate on to networks and applications both in the office and remotely. This eliminates the burden of multiple passwords and benefits companies by offering a stronger level of security and lower help desk costs.

By using the software bundled with the Eikon, companies requiring high levels of security can implement hard authentication and digital signatures. For home PC users the device means the end of password reminder notes that are meant to protect private sites and sensitive data, but which can provide fraudsters with clues that could allow them access to sensitive or valuable data.

‘We determined the need for this type of design talking to both our PC customers and consumers,’ said UPEK’s director of marketing Ron May. ‘Our PC customers were interested in us developing a simple yet elegant USB reader that could be installed in older desktop and laptop systems to provide the same level of security and convenience being afforded to newer models with an integrated fingerprint reader.’