Tool Monitors Keystroke Rhythms For ID

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October 07, 1998 (1:05 PM EDT)

By Mo Krochmal,

NEW YORK -- Net Nanny will introduce on Wednesday BioPassword, a software-based biometric security technology.

The BioPassword technology, which will be available in December, works by monitoring keystrokes, zeroing in on the rhythm and the manner of keying that makes every typist unique -- from key slammers to rapid-fire surfer.

While most other forms of biometrics involve both hardware and software -- such as fingerprint and iris scanners -- BioPassword is a software application.

"It's one of the few products -- if not the only one -- with biometrics that is completely software-based," said Patricia O'Shea, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, a high-tech consultancy.

Biometrics is a technology that digitizes human characteristics such as fingerprints, voices, and -- in this case, keystrokes -- and compares them with a version stored in software to verify an individual's identity. Although the technology has been around for decades, the application of biometrics in a widespread security role appears ready to take off.

The application blocks would-be intruders who steal passwords, but don't have the same keyboard touch as the legitimate password-holder.

The technology was developed at the Stanford Research Institute in 1985. Vancouver-based Net Nanny, which produces Internet filtering technology, acquired the patented technology in 1989.

"We acquired it about five years too soon," said Gordon Ross, Net Nanny's CEO.

He said the company has spent the past six months making the basic algorithms that power the technology work in a multitasking environment and putting in a new interface. The software will work on Windows 95, 98, NT, and CE, said Ross.

Initially, the company will offer the technology to developers. Later, the technology will be marketed as a stand-alone product for the consumer market.

Net Nanny flagship's product is PC software that restricts access to certain websites. The software can block specific URLs or prevent information such as telephone numbers and credit cards from being sent out over the Internet. It also producesan audit trail and monitors e-mail. The company also makes a business application -- NN Pro -- that monitors corporate networks.

O'Neil said she sees BioPassword as a complementary security technology.

"It will be a long time before any information administrative people would feel comfortable with that as a stand-alone," she said. "You will see it in layers. People are looking to beef up password protection for workstations. All that is going to be layered. "