Mouse tracking, for example, has received attention as a tool that can validate a person’s identify while sitting at a computer, suggesting this as a possible candidate for further research. In addition, forensic authorship is a field where people are able to identify an author by language usage.
"My house key will get you into my house, but the dog in my living room knows you’re not me. No amount of holding up my key and saying you’re me is going to convince my dog you’re who you say you are. My dog knows you don’t look like me, smell like me, or act like me. What we want out of this program is to find those things that are unique to you, and not some single aspect of computer security that an adversary can use to compromise your system”, explained Richard Guidorizzi, manager of DARPA's Active Authentication program.
DARPA is hosting Active Authentication industry day on Nov. 18 to encourage industry to submit authentication proposals. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, software, or systems in the areas related to determining the identity of the individual at the keyboard.