Secure Intel chips to support broader use of biometric identification systems

The added security and on-board encryption systems of computing chip manufacturer Intel’s sixth-generation core processors support biometric identification and access control systems on workplace and personal devices, says Intel South Africa enterprise technology specialist Vince Resente.

The devices – and especially the mobile devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones – made using the company’s chips are increasingly using facial recognition systems in addition to the typical username and password.

Additional biometric and security systems and workplace authentication systems also benefit from the increased security of the encryption done by means of the chipset and self-encrypting solid-state drives. Encryption processes run on the chipsets make the devices very difficult to hack, as the processes occur below the operating system.

Intel also introduced a new ‘m-range’ of chips, specifically designed for use in mobile devices. They use about one-third of the power of the Intel chips used in mobile devices five years ago.

“Graphical improvements have been the biggest gain in the new generation, with bigger graphics buffers in processors, while improvements in chip architecture has improved the efficiency of power use. Batteries of these devices now typically last for between eight to ten hours of constant use,” he says.

Additionally, wireless connectivity was a key design principle behind the sixth generation of processors, and drivers on the chips support Intel’s No Wires strategy. These include WiGig (wireless docking) and ProWiDi (wireless display). Intel will introduce wireless charging systems within the year, though this functionality has not yet been launched, says Resente.

The chipsets control the WiFi connection and graphical outputs, which enable them to encrypt wireless signals and thus secure wireless connections using the secure encryption of the chipsets.

Further, Intel is also supplying dedicated workplace processing cores with its first Xeon M processors. Intel and its supply chain partners – information technology (IT) equipment manufacturers and software houses – have also brought out mobile working and collaboration systems that enable companies to ensure secure and effective mobile working environments.

IT and security systems in companies can leverage the security features of the new chips for access control and security of end-point devices while affording users broader opportunity to use their own devices securely for work.

“Intel has made several acquisitions in the security space in recent years, notably cybersecurity firm McAfee (incorporated into Intel Security) and PasswordBox (incorporated into Intel True Key), that are aimed at improving secure identification, access control, user verification and device and network security,” says Resente.

Meanwhile, Intel South Africa Software Solutions Group applications engineer Jaco van Rensburg demonstrated the infrared biometric facial recognition system last month and some of the developments in natural interaction systems the firm is working on.

These systems include gesture recognition, which uses software to process footage from a device’s camera or external camera and map a person’s gesture to a cursor on the display.

The goal of these systems is to enable people to interact with displays at home or at work remotely, without the need for extra equipment; gesture interaction will also improve the ease with which physically handicapped people can interface with a device or display.

Work is ongoing to improve these systems, and parallax from dual infrared- and visible-spectrum cameras can improve the accuracy of these systems. Intel is also working on several other techniques to improve natural interaction and gesture recognition, with the aim of using standard-device capabilities and dedicated software to allow a broad range of devices to use natural interaction systems, he concludes.