US Military Trying To Develop New Type Of Password

The US military is looking for a way to integrate “what you do” into your password.

For that purpose, a research group at the West Point military academy has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to create a new identification system based on the users’ behaviour.

This technology is a part of the active authentication programme run by DARPA (the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency).

So how do you explain this new ID system?

So far, people have been identified by something only they know (a password, or a PIN code), something they possess (an RSA number), or something unique only to them (a finger print, a retina scan, etc).

Well, now the US military wants to add ‘something you do’ into the mix.

According to DARPA, the first phase of the active authentication program will focus on biometrics that can be captured through existing technology, for example how a user holds a mouse, or a mobile device.

The contract document, seen by Sky News and reported by Yahoo Finance, describes the technology as a “cognitive fingerprint”:

“Just as when you touch something with your finger you leave behind a fingerprint, when you interact with technology you do so in a pattern based on how your mind processes information, leaving behind a ‘cognitive fingerprint’,” the document explains.

“The biometrics program is creating a next generation biometric capability built from multiple stylometric/behavioural modalities using standard Department of Defence computer hardware.”

West Point has become a key hub for the US military in developing the new password system, which is now in its fourth phase.