NetFlash: Biometrics 101

Proponents tout biometrics as the end-all for network and physical security of key resources. But recent stories show there’s a good and a bad side to the technology. For example, police in Tampa are this week removing facial recognition software that they thought would help them spot criminals and lost children in large crowds. According to a Reuters report the 2-year old software, which was tied to surveillance cameras, didn’t bring the desired results.  A police spokesman declined to say whether the removal of the software – sold by Identix – was the fault of the software or the database used. He did say the removal was not because of privacy concerns – which were many.  Identix is a security technology company with products including fingerprint readers and other identity technology.

Meanwhile, the AP reports that the U.S. is about to embark on one of the most ambitious biometric rollouts ever at U.S. border checkpoints. The challenges of such a system are tremendous – linking databases, monitoring systems, keeping information up to date.  Not to mention the cost, which will run into the billions experts say.  Will it all work?  Sounds good on paper, but sounds complicated upon implementation.

It should be noted that all this activity is in the face of an Oct. 26, 2004, deadline set by Congress for upgrading passports and visas to include biometrics. So you’ll be hearing lots more about this topic.

Sobig.F worm could have originated on Usenet

The Sobig.F worm, which is estimated to have infected more than 100,000 computers and generated tens of millions of e-mails, could have begun life disguised as a pornographic picture in a posting to a handful of Usenet newsgroups.

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0825sobiguse.html

Get on with Linux and ignore SCO, developer says

Developers and users should ignore the copyright lawsuit filed by the SCO Group against IBM and should continue to work with and deploy Linux without fear of the consequences, according to MontaVista Software, a developer of embedded Linux software.

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0825linuxsco.html

Microsoft’s entrance to spark corporate IM

Riding a tide of desktop domination, Microsoft’s latest foray into presence is expected to kick-start corporate adoption of instant messaging. Lateness to market, however, has analysts skeptical as to how the offering will compete against those of longtime collaboration players such as IBM.

https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0825msim.html