…Thought your fingerprint was secure? Think again. Researchers at Michigan State University last year proved it can be hacked using little more than an inkjet printer.
Enter the earprint.
Developed by US-based technology firm Descartes Biometrics, it works like this: Firstly, the user downloads the ERGO software onto their smartphone.
The user lifts the device to the side of their head and presses the center of the touch screen on their ear. A sound is then sent into the ear, and due to the “unique geometry of the ear,” the sound that is echoed back is specific to each individual.
ERGO uses sensors embedded in modern Android smartphones, meaning no additional hardware is required.
Authentication takes about one second, and the company says, improves with use, storing up to ten scans of the user’s ear.