[TC]

What ever happened to voice authentication from Mac OS 9?

I thought that with PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) support in Jaguar that we might see this and other kinds of authentication popping up all over OS X. Being able to speak to authenticate signing in to websites, ftp accounts, mail, iChat. Wouldn't it also allow lots of different kinds of authentication such as speaking, regular text, signing with a a tablet, fingerprint readers?

Voice authentication was seen as a cool feature of OS 9, with OS X being much more User oriented wouldn't it be even more useful?

[willed]

In the two weeks of using OS9 before I upgraded to 10.1 on my iBook I tried to use the voice authentification thing, but found two problems:
1) you looked and felt like a pillock saying "my voice is my password" to a computer
2) it didn't work (for me anyway). Apparently my voice print was different every time I tried to set it up...

so I'm not too sorry to see the back of it!

[TC]

Originally posted by willed:
1) you looked and felt like a pillock saying "my voice is my password" to a computer

Why didn't you try something else, like "Open sesame"?

[iamnid]

I think the second point was a little more important than just embarrassment -- IT DIDN'T WORK!!!! I tried to set it up numerous times and it just couldn't get a read on my voice.

[mitchell_pgh]

I have to say that it did work for me (I only used it for about a week)...

I did fell like a clown saying "My Voice Is My Password" and changing the words wouldn't have helped...

[timmerk]

it worked perfectly for me too

[krove]

I want to see some biometric authentication schemes like a retina scan or fingerprint scanner.

That'd be cool

[sandsl]

Worked fine for me (only used it for a few weeks though). I'd glad to see it back in the OS.

[OwlBoy]

ehehe That was suck a gimmick

-Owl

[Liquidity X]

yah i liked it to, would like to see it back in X, and also some damn working system sounds

[lucylawless]

what happens if someone records you saying your password? can the software detect a recording?

[Thinine]

The main reason Apple discontinued it was the fact that the built in microphones on most Macs aren't accurate enough to produce a secure sound print. So yes, someone could record you saying your password and use it to get into your computer.

[rantweasel]

Originally posted by krove:
I want to see some biometric authentication schemes like a retina scan or fingerprint scanner.

No, it's really a bad plan. If you look into most of the commercially available retina scanners and fingerprint readers, they are easily fooled. Usually by simple methods, too, like a silly putty mold -> jello finger of the fingerprint in question, or even breathing heavy on the oil residue left on the fingerprint reader. Google for "biometric security flaws" to find out more than you could possibly want to know.

[brainchild2b]

First of all it was pitiful security. I had no problem mimicing my friends voice to get into his computer.

OS X has awesome built in support for smart cards, and security of the like. Look up stuff on it I used to have a bunch of links, I know many companies that are using OS X solely as the "unix" system for testing/writing software for the cards because of the excellent support.

You have to remember though biometerics? for your computer? be real I can get the data off your computer and bypass the whole thing quite easily. Think ultra locked room with biometrics access and disabled internet connection. But what the hell do any of us have that needs that kinda security?

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by krove:
I want to see some biometric authentication schemes like a retina scan or fingerprint scanner.

That'd be cool

I don't want some fool cutting out my eyeball so they can scope my porn. No thanks!

[Cipher13]

Most modern biometric security measures ar pitiful. Even damn expensive corporate-level ones.

And as someone said earlier... why? Sure, it'd be *cool*, but nothing more than a gimick.

I'd love to walk up to my comp, press my thumb down on the scanner built into the keyboard, and have it log in, but really...

Anyway. That'd be another reason for Apple to jack up the prices

They're nowhere near as secure as a password kept to yourself, and measures taken against theft thereof. KSR's, etc.

What's to stop me grabbing your hard drive and just dredging the data, either way?

The only way to REALLY secure a system is to encrypt every bit of data, even on a FS level, with a very good algorithm; that, or rig your tower with a grenade, so that when the tower is opened, the pin drops, and *BANG*.



But yeah. I don't really care what you do to your system to secure it, but gimme 10 mins and I'll have all your data with me. Encryption, however, can dictate how useful it will be to me. Access restriction isn't good enough if you're paranoid enough to want biometrics