SensibleVision, with over 5.5 million installations, comments on a recent blog posting concerning the vulnerability of the face recognition feature included on Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Covert, Michigan, November 15, 2011 – SensibleVision, the leading supplier of face authentication systems, today commented on a video where a photograph was able to fool the face recognition feature of Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System. SensibleVision’s software is not included as a standard feature of Ice Cream Sandwich.
SensibleVision’s FastAccess™ face recognition software is currently in use by over five and a half million users including many in security critical organizations such as hospitals, banks, and enterprise IT. It is also offered as a standard or optional feature on Dell computers.
Photographs and videos should not be recognized as a legitimate user in most situations.
The demonstration video, made by Soya Cincau at the Samsung Galaxy Nexus regional launch event in Jakarta, documents the potential vulnerability of some face recognition solutions.
“By demonstrating the ability to hack into the phone with a photo, Soya Cincau has done consumers a great service by alerting them to a potential security vulnerability. At the same time, it is possible to provide face recognition solutions that address this vulnerability while maintaining the convenience and fun that face recognition offers. Especially for mobile devices such as smartphones, convenience is important as many people currently use little if any security to protect valuable data,” said George Brostoff, CEO of SensibleVision.
In January 2012, SensibleVision will be releasing a patent pending mobile version of its face recognition with technology that allows near perfect photo and video rejection.
All Face Recognition Solutions are NOT the Same
Using SensibleVision’s exclusive and patent-pending Continuous Adaptive Sensing (CAS) recognition routines, FastAccess is far more resistant to picture and video attacks than many other solutions. Even with advanced photo and video rejection technology, however, a successful attack is still possible.
“All security methods, in fact, are susceptible to being bypassed with enough time and effort,” said Brostoff. “Passwords can be stolen, guessed or hacked by brute force, fingerprints can be lifted with a simple gummy bear, badges and access cards can be shared, lost or stolen. To minimize these weaknesses, most security experts recommend adding a second factor of authentication.”
SensibleVision CTO Cyrus Azar added, “Early on in our development of our PC face recognition, we knew that it was important to address the photo-match issue in an easy to use, robust way that did not impact the user’s workflow. In addition to providing superior photo resistance, Face+Password is an innovation that addresses these goals. Our Enterprise products have had an enhanced version of Face+Password for years.”
Empowering the user by publishing known possible vulnerabilities
Good security software publishes known vulnerabilities and provides solutions. In the case of FastAccess, SensibleVision documents the likely conditions under which photo or video access may be possible in its product Help files and FAQs, along with specific recommended solutions such as the use of Face+Password when a photo or video attack is likely.
FastAccess Software
Enterprise versions of FastAccess are available directly from SensibleVision and through its worldwide network of resellers and systems integrators. A consumer version is available directly from SensibleVision at https://www.sensiblevision.com/en-us/purchase.aspx and on select Dell laptops. The FastAccess SDK is available for vendors to integrate face recognition directly into their applications.
Coming soon – in January 2012, SensibleVision will release a new product that offers convenient and secure face recognition for Android and iOS mobile devices.
About SensibleVision
Headquartered in Covert, Michigan, SensibleVision Inc. (www.sensiblevision.com) is the leading provider of face recognition for convenience and security for computers and mobile devices. Since 2006, FastAccess Facial Recognition for Windows has been speeding logins and protecting information, with over 5 million installations worldwide. FastAccess for Windows is available directly from SensibleVision and on select Dell laptops.
Contact:
Darin Beery
Director Sales and Marketing
Email: pr@sensiblevision.com
(269) 932-4548 ext. 106