★★☆Scientists Trying to Do Away With Passwords

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Vocabulary

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1. hacker /ˈhækɚ/ (n.)a person who secretly gets access to a computer system in order to get information, cause damage, etc. : a person who hacks into a computer system
2. authenticate /əˈθɛntɪˌkeɪt/ (v.) to prove that something is real, true, or genuine : to prove that something is authentic
3. permission /pɚˈmɪʃən/ (n.) the right or ability to do something that is given by someone who has the power to decide if it will be allowed or permitted
4. wireless /ˈwajɚləs/ (adj.) not using wires to send and receive electronic signals : sending and receiving electronic signals by using radio waves
5. sensor /ˈsɛnˌsoɚ/ (n.)a device that detects or senses heat, light, sound, motion, etc., and then reacts to it in a particular way

Article

Scientists Trying to Do Away With Passwords

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 (1)Hackers around the world are getting better at stealing passwords. A hacker is a person who uses a computer to gain information without permission. Now, some computer scientists are trying to stop hackers by not using passwords.

(2) The U.S. Military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, is responsible for the creation of the Internet. The agency is supporting research projects that will make passwords a thing of the past.

(3) One project is called Active Authentication. Scientists working on the project want to use a person’s individual qualities to protect electronic devices like wireless phones against hackers. For example, the movement of a person’s hands when they use a wireless phone can be read by sensors. The phone can remember those signs and observe them. The phone locks when someone other than the owner tries to use it.

(4) Other teams of scientists are trying to teach computers and smartphones how to recognize a person’s writing style. The devices will know the words a person uses, how they make sentences and the kinds of errors they make..

(5) In another project, the owner of a device says a phrase instead of typing a password. Sensors identify the sound and way that a user says words.

(6) DARPA says the projects have had very good results. Some of the largest computer and smartphone manufacturers have expressed interest in using them in new devices.

Discussion

*Let’s talk about the article base on the questions below

1. What is the importance of having a password?
2. Do you think having a password is enough to keep an information private? Why?
3. What do you know about privacy laws in your country?

Tags: Business, Science, social issues, Technology