Forget passwords – literally. Jonathan Parkyn explains the new tools that let you lock and unlock your PC, tablet and phone using your face, finger, voice and even your heartbeat
Your finger
How does it work?
Newer iPhones and iPads come with a built-in sensor that scans your fingerprint to verify your identity before unlocking your device using Touch ID. Apple’s not the only manufacturer to employ this technology – Samsung, HTC and Motorola are among some of the others that have added fingerprint recognition to their phones.
Windows has supported fingerprint recognition for many years. If your laptop has a fingerprint reader, you can set it up via the Windows Control Panel. You can add one to any PC yourself by connecting a USB fingerprint reader.
Some ultra-secure USB storage devices will only unlock their contents by scanning and matching your fingerprint. Imation’s IronKey F200 – which also features military-grade encryption – is a good example, although it’s not cheap. An 8GB drive currently sells for around £190 from bit.ly/ironkey379.
What are the benefits?
Your fingerprint is unique and, unless someone has Mission: Impossible levels of spy gear, it’s currently more hackproof than a password.
What are the downsides?
On the other hand (pun intended), you leave fingerprints everywhere you go – on pint glasses in the pub, door handles, light switches and so on. So, theoretically, it could be possible for hackers to lift a clean print, create a digital copy of it and find a way to use this to access your device. Meanwhile, dry skin, injuries, paint, dirt and other random factors can make it hard for sensors to obtain an accurate scan of your digits.
Your face
How does it work?
Android has built-in facial recognition that can be used to unlock your device, which is much improved in Lollipop. Tap Settings, Security and make sure Screen Lock is switched on – set up a PIN if you haven’t already. Next, tap Smart Lock below (if this option isn’t shown, tap ‘Trust agents’ and switch on Smart Lock). Tap ‘Trusted face’ and follow the instructions to record your face. If you wear glasses sometimes or occasionally sport a beard, you can head back to the ‘Trusted face’ setting again and tap ‘Improve face matching’ to record yourself with spectacles or facial hair. With this set up, all you need to do is look at your device to unlock it.
Microsoft has built facial recognition into Windows 10, too, with a feature called Windows Hello, though you need an Intel RealSense-compatible threelens camera for your PC to use it. Alternatively, you could try the free tool KeyLemon (www.keylemon.com), which works with normal webcams.
What are the benefits?
In Lollipop, the facial Smart Lock is easy to set up and unlocks your phone almost instantly, so it’s much more convenient than a password or even a fingerprint reader. And we love that Windows Hello lets you log into your computer just by sitting in front of it.
What are the downsides?
Famously, Android’s face lock has been hacked – simply by using a photo of the device owner’s face. Even face locks that require you to prove you’re human by blinking, such as KeyLemon, could theoretically be fooled by a video of you blinking. Microsoft’s Windows Hello gets around this by using depth perception, so a 2D image won’t work. Sadly, it’s nigh-on impossible to get hold of the special camera required. Additionally, Microsoft’s solution fails to take into account being hacked by a long-lost evil twin or clone!
Your voice
How does it work?
By default, the latest Google Nexus devices always have one ear open, waiting to spring into action at your spoken commands. But you don’t need a Nexus 6 or 9 to unlock your Android device via your voice – a recent update means you can do it on any Lollipop device. Follow the instructions in the previous tip to switch on Smart Lock if it’s not already available, then tap Settings, ‘Language & input’, ‘Voice input’. Here, make sure Enhanced Google services is selected and tap the cog icon. Tap ‘“OK Google” detection’ and make sure all three options are switched on. You may need to train the voice model and add US English to your voice input languages before you can switch on ‘Trusted voice’.
VoicePass Password Manager (59p, bit.ly/voicepass379) is an Android app that goes one stage further by allowing you to log into sites and services – Facebook or your webmail, for example – by using spoken passwords.
What are the benefits?
Asking your phone to unlock feels very natural, even if you have to say “OK Google” in order to do so.
What are the downsides?
Even Google admits that voice recognition isn’t necessarily the safest way to lock your device. “Someone with a similar voice or a recording of your voice could unlock your device,” a helpful pop-up message informs you when you activate the feature.
Your USB stick
How does it work?
Using a special tool, it’s possible to convert a USB memory stick into a key that locks and unlocks your computer. As long as the USB drive is plugged in, you can access the PC; removing it again will instantly lock the computer. For Windows users, Predator Home Edition (bit.ly/predator379) costs around £6.50. Install the program and insert a USB flash drive (it doesn’t matter what size) when prompted, then follow the remaining prompts to set up your key.
What are the benefits?
One USB drive can be used to unlock multiple PCs. And the same USB drive can still be used for storage.
What are the downsides?
If you don’t have many USB ports to spare, it can be a pain to effectively lose the use of one of them. Also, since it’s a physical item, your USB key could still get lost or stolen.
Your whistle or your pocket?
How does it work?
If you’re an Android user, there are apps available on the Google Play store that are supposedly designed to unlock your device in unique ways. Whistle Screen (free, bit.ly/whistlescreen379) claims to unlock your screen when you whistle at it, while Gravity Screen (free, bit.ly/gravityscreen379) purports to lock your screen when you place your device in a pocket and unlock it again when you pick it up.
What are the benefits?
None.
What are the downsides?
We tried both of these apps. Whistle Screen didn’t work at all, while Gravity Screen worked sometimes. Neither app offers any security and Gravity Screen can’t even be uninstalled in the normal way. We recommend exercising caution with these kinds of gimmicky apps.
UNLOCK DEVICE WITH EYES, EARS OR HEART
Fingerprint recognition has been around since at least the mid-19th Century, making it pretty primitive compared to some of the biometric techniques currently in development. Bodyprint (bit.ly/bodyprint379), for example, uses other unique physical attributes, such as the shape of your ear, to identify you and allow access to devices. Nymi Band (www.nymi.com), meanwhile, is a wearable technology that identifies you using the unique rhythm of your heartbeat. Meanwhile, Fujitsu recently demonstrated a prototype phone that could be unlocked using a built-in iris scanner, bringing that staple of futuristic spy movies one step closer.