ECG user authentication? Scientists claim it is possible

The need to prevent spoofing attacks andother unpleasant encroachments on confidentiality when using gadgets makes scientists around the world work to create a protection system for consumer electronics, using its capabilities. Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley (USA) and the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) have achieved some success in this matter.

They concluded that use forbiometric authentication of users, along with their fingerprints, voice signals, glances, you can electrocardiogram (ECG). ECG data is individual for each person, and it is easy to create an authentication system based on ECG based on the existing consumer electronics.

The study involved 49 volunteerswho used ECG monitors in two different modes to read and identify their ECG. Thus, the ability of small ECG monitors to perform the authentication process was tested, and the possible error in reading the results was determined.

It turned out that ECG monitors make such errors withfrequency from 2.4% to 9% (depending on the length of the control time), which is approximately equal to the amount of errors when scanning fingerprints for the same period of time.

Authors of research consider that authenticationECG is not more difficult than other biometric authentication systems, and at the same time reliable and real for use as an effective method for preventing spoofing attacks and other troubles, inevitable companions of progress, for users of modern IT-technologies.

Source: arxiv