A Lenovo laptop that knows your face

I hate passwords. Or more correctly, I hate how many passwords, PINs and security codes/answers I have to remember.

There are passwords and access codes to get into my home and office computers; my cell phone; my work and personal e-mail accounts; my home, office and cell phone voicemails; my online bank accounts; my wireless home network equipment; my accounts with Web sites such as ConsumerReports.org and this blog...

Maybe that's why I was very interested in the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510, one of the latest notebooks Consumer Reports is testing for our upcoming laptop computer Ratings update. Its most unique feature: It uses your face as the key to personal computer security.

The IdeaPad uses VeriFace, a "facial recognition" program installed in the IdeaPad.  Put simply: You register yourself (and anyone else that you want to have access to the laptop) by letting the software "scan in" the faces in front of the built-in, 1.3-megapixel webcam. Those facial images can then be associated with logins—to a Windows Vista "user" account, for example. That way if you've set the Lenovo to "lock" after a period of inactivity, getting back in is as simple as facing the webcam at the top of the IdeaPad's 15.4-inch LCD screen. This facial recognition scheme can also be used to log you into your Web-based e-mail and other accounts that normally require you to type in a user name and password.

You can review how the Lenovo IdeaPad works by watching our video using the player embedded in this post.

As with other biometric-based security devices (such as fingerprint scanners), VeriFace worked well and wasn't spoofed by simple trickery. But this 007-type approach to PC security wasn't completely flawless. (Hint: Those who wear hats and reflective glasses or typically use their laptops in badly-lit places might have second thoughts about facial recognition security.) And VeriFace still requires typed-in passwords as a back-up means of access—which means it is no less vulnerable to hackers and code-cracking software.

We're still testing the Lenovo IdeaPad and will include it in our Ratings of laptop computers soon on ConsumerReports.org. But one shortcoming that was obvious to me and other testers: Its LCD screen reflected light—a lot. Under our video studio's bright lights, the screen acted like a mirror. Perhaps that's so you can better examine your face before telling the Lenovo's VeriFace software, "I'm ready for my close-up."

—Paul Eng

Comments

[CTB]

My first reaction to facial recognition is: What happens if a person becomes ill and needs a medication that bloats the face or has an accident that results in bandaging, scarring, burns, etc. Lives change in an instant every day. If a person is the only registered user, how can that person gain access again without compromising the security in facial recognition?

[SSA]

A little oversimplistic review to be honest, but I will say there are a few things that I have find questionable:

"As with other biometric-based security devices (such as fingerprint scanners), VeriFace worked well and wasn't spoofed by simple trickery."

That's a real bold claim, because I recall a few years ago one guy at MIT found that he could fool about a dozen popular fingerprint readers 90% of the time using superglue and gummy bears not exactly high tech equipment that average folks couldn't acquire. The sensors may have gotten better, but this post shows a lack of research if the reviewer thinks biometric security devices are immune from trickery. There is a reason that most high security facilities(intelligence services, military, etc.) don't rely on biometric security devices alone for authenication.

"VeriFace still requires typed-in passwords as a back-up means of access—which means it is no less vulnerable to hackers and code-cracking software."

This is true for virtually all biometric systems on notebooks. They virtually always have false negatives, in addition to false positives like I noted above, where if you couldn't log in with a password you would lock out legitimate users.

This is why real techs that are worth their salt (nobody who on Consumer Reports payroll) will point out that biometric sensors in some ways are a marketing gimmick because they do nothing to close the countless means one can use to log into a computer without knowing the password. Furthermore, a lot of users use pretty easy passwords that are easily guessed(12345, password, their username, etc.) where someone could easily guess it without any technical accumen.

The only effective means of protecting users data is an effective form of encryption of data. Pretty much anything else is just intended to keep honest people out. Combining fingerprints together with a strong password to decrypt your data is a better idea, because if they steal your laptop there is nothing to stop them from pulling the hard drive and reading the unencrypted data. You should't care if they can log into the computer. Especially if you have confidential information on the laptop you should be far more concerned about the protecting the data from leaking to unauthorized people.

Having played with this laptop already I can say I agree with their accessment that Veriface still could use some improvement. That is part of the reason their business Thinkpad line doesn't have this software because it isn't quite ready for enterprise users yet. It will certainly sell laptops to people impressed by novelties, but I wouldn't buy this laptop just for that feature.

[Jared Reeder]

I personally own this computer and was impressed by the VeriFace software; however, I did come across a slight glitch...when your computer goes into sleep or hibernate mode, the Veriface software fails to start up again. It's almost as though the software can't be awakened to allow you to log in. I usually have to click the little 'switch user' icon on the bottom to go back to the users screen. After doing this, the computer comes back to its senses and I can log in again. However, I've actually disabled VeriFace altogether now because it slows me down as far as logging into my PC.

Other than that...this has been the BEST laptop hands-down that I have ever owned or used! True, the screen is very glossy; however, most of my work is done in indirect lighting situations.

By the way, the sound on this computer is AMAZING! It has a total of 5 speakers (2 mains, 2 surround, and even a tiny subwoofer in the bottom). My own desktop computer doesn't sound this good when using iTunes.

[Phil]

SSD's PCs and laptops will hopefully live longer, so what happens as we age? Will this or other laptops be able to keep up with that?

Say someone is hospitalized for 6 months or a year, will it one day decide to lock us out because it doesn't know who we are anymore?