Human interface solutions developer Synaptics Inc. has announced a groundbreaking new fingerprint authentication technology. Called Match-in-Sensor, it’s described by the company as “the industry’s first fully hardware encapsulated fingerprint sensor and matching solution.”
The system uses Synaptics’ System on Chip (SoC) architecture, which allows everything to be done on a single device, isolated from its host operating system. That means it performs all input and output functions using microprocessor executing firmware embedded in the sensor itself. Because the biometric information doesn’t need to be sent to the host itself for verification, it remains secure on the device itself.
In a statement announcing the new technology, Synaptics Vice President Ritu Favre emphasized the particular value such a system will present in the world of mobile payments. “The entire mobile payments ecosystem, driven by rapid adoption of fingerprint authentication technology, is increasingly concerned about reducing security risks and eliminating threats of attack,” she said. “Match-in-Sensor technology provides for the requirements of smartphone manufacturers, the convenience for end-users, and the security for online service providers when authenticating their customers.”
Synaptics has already been making a name for itself with its Natural ID fingerprint sensor, which has seen some high-profile integrations, as in the case of Samsung’s most recent flagship devices, as well as a new Sharp smartphone offered by security conscious Japanese mobile service provider NTT DoCoMo. Over 200 million of the sensors had been shipped at the start of this month. Now, with its innovative and highly secure Match-in-Sensor technology, Synaptics could become a standard-setter in fingerprint scanning security.
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July 9, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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