I-Corps: Secure Two Factor Authentication with Wearable Hardware Key using Human Body as a Wire

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to improve the security of a digital footprint by making a “hardware key” for two-factor authentication wearable. Breaches due to weak or stolen credentials is a major problem today, and phishing attacks and identity theft result in loss of assets for millions of users and organizations. By increasing physical security and solving the problem of low compliance of two-factor authentication, digital security can be vastly improved. The proposed technology has the potential to resolve the current issues with two-factor authentication and greatly lower risks for breaches. This I-Corps project aims to evaluate the commercialization potential of technology that uses the body as a wire, and in this proposal it will be applied to the case of secure authentication. Prior work has shown that the proposed technology enables physical security by preventing hackers from snooping the signal, unlike wireless technologies such as Bluetooth. Prior research has established that it is possible to develop low-loss communication at low frequencies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.