Voice Recognition Security Can Fail

I tested the "LinkedIn Audio Room" feature on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. I was too eager to test the audio live chatting feature. That is how I forgot to post the weekly article for the newsletter on Tuesday!

Audio is an attractive way of communication.

Anyway, I and three more LinkedIn members joined a "LinkedIn Audio Room" and chatted live. I must agree that audio is an attractive way of communication. People who are camera shy may prefer to chat in audio-only communication.

Most humans can recognize people's voices. Nowadays, computer programs are also trained to recognize human voices. But, we humans also sometimes can't distinctly make out a difference between a mimicked voice. Computer programs also commit the same mistakes.

The biometrics research community tries to promote voice recognition as an authentication tool.

Promoters of biometrics are trying to push voice recognition as a tool to authenticate online accounts and services. The results of these trials are not encouraging. The reason is simple. Biometrics is probabilistic, and not deterministic. Biometrics can never produce 100 percent recognition success.

HSBC Bank tried voice recognition as security in 2016 which failed miserably.

Behavioral biometrics, such as voice and speaker recognition systems, may appear as safe. But research reports say that mimicry attacks may act as threats to voice and speech recognition.

In 2017,?according to a news by BBC, HSBC’s voice ID authentication software designed to prevent bank fraud has been broken by BBC Click reporter Dan Simmons and his non-identical twin.

News Source: BBC

You can view the video clip of how one of the twin-brother couples logged in to his brother's HSBC bank account, accessed funds, and executed a financial transaction. The voice of one brother broke open another brother's account by mimicking his brother's voice. Any expert voice mimicry artist probably can do it for several account holders!

Conclusion

The demonstration by the BBC tech team proved that voice recognition failed miserably in a test of the HSBC Bank's endeavor to promote voice biometrics to its users.

Biometrics recognition lowers the security of any authentication system.

Our earlier review article detailed why biometrics may compromise security!

It is therefore recommended that one should think many times before accepting biometrics as an authentication factor for your online account access.

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About me

I am a researcher and contribute to the overlapping areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). I develop cybersecurity and information security solutions, specifically graphical authentication security.

Text Copyright ? 2022 Debesh Choudhury — All Rights Reserved.

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Cover:?I created a GIF using title texts and a screenshot from BBC news.

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Kolkata, Thursday, September 29, 2022.

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