Biometric technology has been boosting the security of a greater array of electronic devices in recent years, including homes, businesses, schools and even wallets. The technology has also made its way into ATMs as a way to beat card skimmers, but these machines still require customers to insert a card. Now a Japanese bank has announced that it will introduce ATMs that allow customers to carry out transactions with a scan of their palm.
Currently, ATMs with integrated biometric sensors identify customers by comparing biometric data stored on their card against data gathered by the ATM – be it fingerprints, palm prints or iris patterns. This means that if the customer loses their card, they can’t access their cash.
The new ATMs to be introduced this September at 10 branches, a drive-through ATM and two mobile banks by Japan’s Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank will authenticate a customer by only their palm print, their birthdate, and a four-digit PIN – no card required.
After registering their biometric data at a bank branch, customers will be able to withdraw cash and conduct other transactions without a card using the new ATMs. As well as improving customer convenience, the ATMs were developed in response to the large number of people who lost their cards and other forms of personal identification in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and were unable to access their accounts.
Source: Network World, Nikkei
It could be a bit of a hassle in some third world countries though, where a large section of the ATM using population has shockingly filthy hands. The machine might go out of order or just get so murky it would fail to identify the user at all !
- A Germaphobe's nightmare! Skin transmitted deceases (unless you provide a hand cleansing kit or something). - Criminals will now chop rich people's hands to withdraw money. Kind of farfetched but possible.
Naaaa the same old stickup would be much easier for almost all people all the time.
biometrics is BAD. This year is the first time in history that actual criminals have started stealing more money than fraudulent insiders. And - it's a lot of money. $114bn last year. The *reason* they've been able to overtake, is because of malware. Criminals can now use viruses and trickery to take whatever authentication data you want. Heck - the article even mentions one of the way - skimming!
Now - if they steal your card data - well - it's a pain. you loose all your money, then the bank gives you a new card, and you're good to og, albeit poorer.
Next - if they steal you biometric data - well - it's a literal pain. you loose all your money, again, then the bank amputates your hand, scans the one you've got left, and you're good to go, albeit lighter.
Wake up world!!
Cardless ID would need super computing power to first scan the palm, then comparing it with jillions of records in the database and then finding the correct one to go ahead with the transactions. Too much load on the resources, in my opinion.
1. Take the target finger or palm print by giving him/her a clean surface e.g. iPad 2. Use some fine powder to brush off the finger/palm prints 3. Scan the fingerprint/Palm prints 4. Print the prints out in transparency in enlarged format 5. Use black marker to darken the lines of the prints 6. Re-scan the transparency & reduce the size of the image & print on a paper or transparency. 7. put on the biometric sensor when nobody is watching. 8. Of course the 4 digit code can be easily seen by someone peering over you at the ATM or skimming...and birthdate from your friends or facebook.
Then your bank account will be emptied.
So Japan, do watch some mythbuster first before you invest in such system...see if they can crack your ATM!!
Database scans using prints are easy enough. Categorize by a few identifying features and you can get down to a comparison pretty quickly, then making sure the images match is also reasonably simple and something a processor like the one in my phone could do in less time than the data verification on most ATM's. The whole process could easily be encrypted to be at least as secure as any account verification we currently have, besides talking to a real person who knows you.
One assumes, however, that these people still need a card to pay at the store (or use some other relatively insecure payment method). Since this is the point where a lot of fraud happens (pretty easy for an underpaid employee to swipe information off a card when someone hands it to him/her and she/he takes it out of your vision), I don't see this helping much. Also, Mr. Stiffy, I actually agree with you for once. Since all it takes to rob an open bank is a post-it note and pen, it seems unlikely that anyone would bother with chopping off hands, or even stealing biometrics.