The Weekly Cypher is specially curated to keep you up-to-date on the latest in cybersecurity, biometrics, and related news and innovations. This week’s topics are:
Incoming Administration Turns Spotlight on Biometrics | Biometric Update
Reports indicating several biometrics industry experts being brought on as advisors with the incoming administration highlight a stronger focus on biometrics in government cybersecurity in the coming years. Some independent commenters believe that these appointments indicate that biometrics will play a major role in border security operations, immigration reform, and airport security. [Read More]
Australia Focused on Biometric Airport Security | International Business Times
Australia is focused on automating 90 percent of air traveler processing by implementing facial recognition, iris, and other biometric authentication solutions. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection plans to complete these improvements by 202, replacing manned counters with automatic booths and SmartGates to scan passports automatically. The program will be tested in the nation’s smaller airports before major international hubs will be overhauled. [Read More]
Smartphone Price Drops Coincide With Biometric Adoption | Acuity Market Intelligence
The “Global Biometrics and Mobility Report” found that the average price for a biometrics-enabled smartphone has continued to fall over the last three years, directly correlating to the rise in adoption of mobile biometric authentication. According to the report, the average price for these devices fell from $849 in Q1 2013 to only $276 in Q4 2016. The biometrics market, on the other hand, rose dramatically at the same time, by 67 percent CAGR. [Read More]
CES Promises Reliable IoT Security Products | Forbes
More IoT products showcased at CES 2017 are focused on cybersecurity, a trend that has been needed in the IoT field for some time. Encryption and interoperability are becoming important buzzwords in this area of technology, with steadily increasing awareness of severe vulnerabilities in IoT products and their software. One product, the Bulldog “The Dojo,” promises to monitor and protect home networks and the IoT devices connected to them. [Read More]
Lloyds Bank Latest DDoS Target | Data Breach Today
Reports say that Lloyds Banking Group is the latest high-profile victim of a massive DDoS attack, with anonymous sources saying the financial services firm’s online services were affected for two days earlier this month. Some reports also indicate the attacker attempted to blackmail the group, asking for $93,000 worth of bitcoin to end the attack. Lloyds has neither confirmed nor denied the incident, but recent surveys note that DDoS attacks have risen significantly over the last year. [Read More]
