For those who can remember what their third-grade teacher looked like, but can't remember their password every time they log on to a computer, take heart.

Passfaces Corporation, an information security technology company based in Maryland, has developed Passfaces SDK, a program designed to take advantage of the brain's natural talent for remembering familiar faces. When integrated, the program asks users to click on a series of memorized faces instead of typing in an alphanumeric password. The series of faces then becomes the user's authentication.

"When I saw the idea, I thought, 'This is the missing link,'" said Paul Barrett, CEO of Passfaces. "That's the root of it ... Once you memorize your set of passfaces, you never forget them ... It's something like a 'mind-print.'"

Following installation on enterprise networks - the software isn't available to the general public yet - users are given three to seven images of faces to serve as their authentication system. They are then taken through a familiarization process to cement the images in their minds. When they log in, they identify their assigned faces from five groups of nine randomly placed faces in a three high by three wide grid.

Passfaces claims the science behind the innovative technology is based on the brain's "cognometric" capacity, meaning its innate ability to memorize and recall images, particularly faces.

"It's true, we never forget a face," said a company representative on Passfaces' Web site. "We might not be able to associate a name with a face, but the brain can recognize a face for months, or even years after the first encounter. It's that scientific fact that serves as the basis for Passfaces technology."

Barrett said he expects the product to be successful in the software market because the program keeps sensitive data safe, but more importantly, he said, because people who have tried it, "actually like it" and find it convenient for everyday use.

Steve Morck, vice president of customer service for Passfaces, agrees.

"This technology is easy to use and it is the perfect authentication and/or password replacement in any environment - even for a home user," he said in an e-mail, adding he is sure the company will roll out an in-home version of the software.

Barrett also predicted success because unlike programs requiring passwords that can be written down and lost, Passfaces makes it tough for anyone else to discover a user's set of faces - or even for a user to tell someone else on purpose.

"It's very difficult to pass them on," Barrett said. "You can't adequately describe the faces and you can't say, '[It's on] the bottom left, top right [since the order of the faces changes every time].'"

Barrett said eventually, he would like to see everyone using Passfaces instead of traditional passwords.

"We see Passfaces as being the natural successor to passwords and PINs," he said.

According to the Web site, the software requiring users to pick five faces from a series of five grids results in a one in 59,000 chance that another person could correctly guess the user's password.

Copyright Brigham Young University 12 Apr 2006