Customers will no longer have to use passwords to access their bank accounts on the phone or via the iPhone app at HSBC and First Direct
HSBC is the latest bank to ditch passwords in favour of biometrics, which the bank says are more secure and less easy to forget Photo: ALAMY
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Biometric identification is about to replace passwords at HSBC and First Direct, as the bank rolls out fingerprint and voice recognition systems.
As many as 15m customers will be able to use the system, which the bank
says should be quicker, easier and more secure than using passwords.
The bank argues that the biometric security system is safer than current log-ins as customers can forget passwords and leave themselves vulnerable to cyber criminals by using the same password across many different online accounts.
HSBC's Joe Gordon said the innovation should save customers time and hassle compared with using passwords
Joe Gordon, HSBC's head of customer contact, said: "This gets rid of the much-maligned passwords to replace them with something more secure - you don't have to remember where you lived when you were five, or your inside leg measurement."
Customers who opt into the service will provide a voice print to the
bank, which analyses the speed at which they talk as well as their
cadence and pronunciation, which the bank says provides 100 “signifiers”
that mark the customer out as a unique individual.
From then on, customers should be able to access the account by reading a set phrase, such as “my voice is my password” or by reading their account number and date of birth, rather than giving passwords.
Mr Gordon said the system works even when customers have a cold or other illness that could affect their speech.
“It takes more than 100 different measurements, so for most people even with a cold, the vocal tract doesn’t change, and behavioural factors such as the speed of speech, their accent and pronunciation are still there,” he said.
“In those cases where we still cannot, which are few and far between, they can be put through to an adviser to go through verification in the normal way.”
The bank is trialling the voice recognition system in the coming weeks and hopes to unveil it to the public before the summer. In recent days it has started offering fingerprint verification to customers who want to access their account via their iPhone.
Contactless
payments have already replaced the need for a PIN on transactions worth
below £30, and banks are looking for more ways to cut passwords out of
the online log in process Photo: Alamy
Other banks have also taken steps towards abolishing passwords.
Lloyds Banking Group tested a system for customers to tap their debit cards on their smartphones to identify them, and it even developed a heartbeat recognition device to illustrate the potential uses of biometrics.
Royal Bank of Scotland also uses the iPhone’s fingerprint recognition system, while Barclays rolled out a finger scanner that uses the blood flow in a customer’s hands to verify the account-holder’s identity for substantial payments.
Culled from Telegraph
From then on, customers should be able to access the account by reading a set phrase, such as “my voice is my password” or by reading their account number and date of birth, rather than giving passwords.
Mr Gordon said the system works even when customers have a cold or other illness that could affect their speech.
“It takes more than 100 different measurements, so for most people even with a cold, the vocal tract doesn’t change, and behavioural factors such as the speed of speech, their accent and pronunciation are still there,” he said.
“In those cases where we still cannot, which are few and far between, they can be put through to an adviser to go through verification in the normal way.”
The bank is trialling the voice recognition system in the coming weeks and hopes to unveil it to the public before the summer. In recent days it has started offering fingerprint verification to customers who want to access their account via their iPhone.
Contactless
payments have already replaced the need for a PIN on transactions worth
below £30, and banks are looking for more ways to cut passwords out of
the online log in process Photo: AlamyOther banks have also taken steps towards abolishing passwords.
Lloyds Banking Group tested a system for customers to tap their debit cards on their smartphones to identify them, and it even developed a heartbeat recognition device to illustrate the potential uses of biometrics.
Royal Bank of Scotland also uses the iPhone’s fingerprint recognition system, while Barclays rolled out a finger scanner that uses the blood flow in a customer’s hands to verify the account-holder’s identity for substantial payments.
Culled from Telegraph
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