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A comment on The Pixel 4’s face unlock works on sleeping people. Parent comment

Re:The Pixel 4’s face unlock works on sleeping people by dwaite on Friday October 18, 2019 @05:51PM (#21295366)
Biometrics are not an extension of #2.

You really are categorizing authentication factors by their weaknesses:

- Knowledge factors can be discovered/guessed and duplicated

- Possession factors should protect against guessing and duplication, but can be physically stolen

- Inherence factors should protect against guessing, duplication and physical theft, but cannot be replaced

Writing down a password doesn't make it an effective physical factor, just like embedding an NFC chip in your arm doesn't make it an effective biometric.

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Re:The Pixel 4’s face unlock works on sleeping people by throwaheyy on Friday October 18, 2019 @06:01PM (#21295406)
Face print and fingerprint are definitely #2, something you have. Both can be easily copied. #3 would be your DNA sequence perhaps.

Similarly, SMS authentication is not #2. The mapping of your phone number to your phone is not something you possess, it is sitting in some phone company system somewhere and it can be changed.

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