Problem Formulation

Statement-Restatement Technique

Fingerprint Scanner for extra level of security for Flashdrives/Storage systems

To log into secure systems, the user needs to have a very secure password. These passwords need many different letters, characters, and numbers. If we would put a fingerprint scanner on a flash drive that would then automatically put the password into the computer this would take away the need to memorize a long and complicated password.
The main boundary for this would be the storage of the fingerprint in the small device. We would need to have a small memory card in the UBS device that only stores the fingerprint.
The goal would be to have a device that reads a figure print and a password would be put into the website, system, or where a password would be needed
Input: fingerprint, password

Output: password

Once the device is being set up, a password and figure print would need to be inputted. ONce the device is done setting up, the input would be a figure print and the output would be the password

Source/Cause Approach (Using Why/Why Methodology)

Revision Method

Initial Idea: The initial concept was to develop biometric scanners with a focus on their use in firearms -- firearms with biometrically activated safeties to keep guns out of unintended hands.
Issues:
- Hardware integration would be difficult to develop an ergonomic, functional ideally, and low cost to produce
- Would the scanner be attachable (i.e. like a 3rd party device) or would the firearm be manufactured with the scanner integrated?
- How would software be developed? How would the scanner itself be put together?
- How would ergonomics be accounted for?

Resolution:

These are the issues we encountered when thinking of where to apply our fingerprint scanner. Instead of walking in with an immediate application for a fingerprint scanner, we dialed back to what a fingerprint scanner was meant to do -- to be an additional complex layer of protection. With this in mind, we will attempt to resolve the widespread issue available with passwords.

Many people either recycle or use an extremely simple password that could be easily bypassed by experience intruders. Applying a fingerprint scanner to widespread password inputs would allow for more secure logins across all of a user's accounts, while eliminating the need for a user to memorize, write down, or otherwise compromise their passwords. More specifically, this would be accomplished with a physical module that verifies a user's fingerprint and automatically inputs a user's password, pulling from a database in the device or on the user's computer.

New Focus: Physical Biometric Password Unit
- Physical unit that unlocks computers, online accounts, etc.
- Automatically inputs password for a related account if biometric data matches.

PS-DS

Currently, password security and management presents itself as a widespread and serious issue in the realm of cybersecurity. Cyber-criminal and password pirates have found ingenious and lucrative ways to crack passwords, most often through brute force techniques where password combinations are tried until the correct one is used. The statistics regarding password security and cybercrime is staggering:

Some notable numbers to see is the malware breaches caused by password dumber software, hacking caused by stolen passwords and poor passwords, and most notably, the fact that 17% of hackers were able to "guess" their victims password.

With the battlefield set, we understand that there needs to be a regular, safer, and practical method for accessing accounts, applications, files and data. One of the most notable and widespread methods is using fingerprint. Currently, many devices, primarily mobile devices such as phones and laptops utilize fingerprint scanners to help with sign-on authentication. However, not every device has the ability to fingerprint scan and even more so, not every application will allow for fingerprint authentication. This leads us to our potential solution to reach our desired state: An electronic attachment that could pragmatically and safely be used to input passwords

Individually, users should be using longer, more complicated passwords to better encrypt their devices and data. However, true to reality, the user requires a simple and easy experience, and thus, will often times compromise their security just to have an easy sign on experience. Therefore, to compromise, we envisioned a system were complex and secured passwords could be stored and inputted with a single user interaction, and for our purposes, that interaction would be fingerprint encryption, which could be used for devices lacking of such functionality or applications that do not allow for such authentication technology.

Duncker Diagram

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