Eyelock's latest product, the Myris, is seriously cool. The Myris allows you to log onto your computer, websites and apps by scanning your irises - spy movie style. I think I would take to wearing a tuxedo, with a Walther PPK tucked in my holster and a martini in my now free hands every time I use my laptop.
I had never heard of the Myris until I stumbled upon Walt Mossberg's review on Recode.net, but it immediately caught my gaze. Using your eyes, your irises really, as a way to prove who you are not only reaches Bond levels of cool, but is extremely secure. Even more so than fingerprints, irises are a brilliant biometric proof of identity. The chance of a 'false accept' are minuscule, due to the uniqueness of everyone's individual irises. Eyelock claims the chance of a false accept is as low as 1 in 1,500,000. The Myris also should be able to distinguish between an image of an eye and the real thing, as to avoid being tricked that way.
What this all means is that you can now long onto your sites, laptop or whatever just by staring at the mirror on the Myris unit, a thick palm sized device. The current unit needs to be plugged in via USB, but Eyelock is working on a wireless model. The system doesn't completely eliminate the need for usernames and passwords entirely. In fact the Myris is actually acting as a 'password hub'.
On the Myris app you store all your username and passwords, and from then on, you only need scan your iris to log-in on subsequent visits to all those services. Walt Mossberg of Recode had varying degrees of success, but in principal the device worked. This solution allows you to forsake having to remember all your complicated passwords and - as they don't need to be remembered - you can make them more complex and therefore more secure.
"With Ensygnia Onescan, rather than a device that scans you - you do the scanning"
Eyelock retail the Myris for $279. As much as I like the device, or at least the idea of fulfilling my childhood spy fantasy, I'm not going to be rushing out to get one. It's too much for a device that would be cumbersome to travel with and only works on my laptop or personal computer. What about when I want to log in on my mobile, tablet, or perhaps even a friend's computer.When I can't use the Myris, I'm going to have to try and remember an extremely complex password.
Here at Ensygnia, we are right behind the concept of doing away with the need to remember passwords for users. We suggest that, rather than creating a password hub and a means to access and utilise them quickly, we eradicate them entirely. With Ensygnia Onescan, rather than a device that scans you - you do the scanning. Onescan is a secure mobile app that stores an authenticated identity on a combination of your smartphone and our bank-grade security cloud. It allows you to complete login processes by simply scanning one of our special padlock codes using your smartphone camera. For example, logging into your favourite site, wherever you are, whatever device you're on, would be as simple pulling out your phone, opening the app and scanning the code. You're in. No username and password needed, no situation where the solution is not available and no new expensive hardware needed on the part of anyone.
Ensygnia is in fact offering its Onescan login and registration technology for free between now and the end of the year. Don't miss out on this great offer for your business' website, or let your favourite websites know of this simple alternative they could have up and running on their site in no time. No more cumbersome usernames and passwords!
The Myris solution stirs up the security scene for login, but with Onescan, we really want to shake it up. Our solution doesn't make the best out of the poor situation we have got ourselves into with usernames and passwords, but offers a completely new alternative. What better proof of who you are than your smartphone. We use that device for authentication, the one that you carry with you at all times, to complete all kinds of actions. It's not just login online, but a whole range of applications in identity, payments and loyalty.
By Matthew Taylor 9th December 2014
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Review: Myris scans your eyes to log you in to PCs, sites - Recode
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