Fingerprint, voice, and most recently, iris biometrics have all made significant strides and are being used on campuses across the country for authentication and access control. But campuses could soon add another modality to the list from biometric software solutions provider, Biometric Signature ID.

The company’s flagship product, Bio-Sig ID is designed to be a secure password and authentication tool that leverages a user’s unique pen strokes to create a biometric ID with their fingertip, stylus or mouse. The biometric data from that ID is then recorded and becomes the user’s biometric signature ID. It’s a process that the company insists can’t be copied by a fraudster.

Users enroll by drawing their unique, four-character biometric password to create a template pattern against which all subsequent logins will be compared. Imposters are denied access since they can’t reproduce the user’s distinct pattern. The solution can be used as a replacement to a current security measure, like a Windows Log in, or be used as an added authentication factor.

In educational environments the company sees K-12 schools leveraging the solution to validate adults picking up children from school. Beyond that, however, there’s an opportunity for higher education institutions to use the system for distance learning ID vetting scenarios.

When coupled with the company’s BioProof-ID solution, a campus can use the system for validating that students are who they claim to be when taking an online course, test or exam. BioProof-ID combines human verification of a user identity by confirming their government issued ID, and then combines that with the creation of a new biometric password. The entire process of password creation and enrollment is verified, then witnessed, ensuring no break in the identity chain.

“BioSig-ID technology allows us to ensure the student who registered for the course is the same student who is trying to access exams,” says Dr. Laura L. Watson, Deputy Chancellor, Academic and Student Services, Central Texas College. “An additional benefit is the extensive reporting tool providing the ability to uncover suspicious behaviors that can identify possible academic dishonesty.”

The company reports that a biometric ID forged at the time of enrollment is so secure that across 10,000 attempts an ID couldn’t be replicated or hacked, even when the imposters were given the exact password. Successful authentication isn’t just down to the correct password or the signature itself, but also how the hand moved when the ID was created. No two hands will move identically, and because of this the company estimates the system to be 99.7% accurate.

In the event that a user is concerned that their BioMetric Signature ID has been compromised, they can simply change the handwritten word and update their passcode across the platform. Here’s the solution in action.