Can You Protect Your Computer With Spit?

Like snowflakes, every person's saliva is unique, a fact which may hold the key to everything from easily accessed medical histories to super-secure computers.

Biometrics has been trying to discover for years what makes us unique. Fingerprints and retinal scans have become the standards for most biometrics, but they still have massive drawbacks, as many heist games and movies illustrate.

However, a new worldwide survey of the human saliva microbiome - the bugs in our spit - finds that a man from England shares no more microbes in common with his neighbors than with a woman from Africa.

The survey, which was conducted by Mark Stoneking, a molecular anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, could have far-reaching implications.

Both fingerprints and retinal scans fail in picking up genetic traits within their biometrics, which make them only useful for tracking an individual; stomach ulcer bacteria do contain these traits and have been used to date human migration, but require a stomach biopsy.

Genetic traits hidden within your identification can be used for a number of purposes. Apart from determining your identification accurately, it can also hold genetic information like diseases, parentage, children, age, allergies.

The beauty of the spit method is that it's simple to get hold of, but can contain genetic traces that could allow detailing not just the individual, but the whole family line. An ambulance man with a "spit-ID" could run a quick swab test and with some accuracy automatically find out who you are, who to contact and what medicines to give and not to give you.

It could even lead to heightened computer security. Forget passwords and user names - just dab a bit of saliva on a pad and you're good to go. Having a "spit-lock" as part of your computer logon does seem a little gross, though.

Source: New Scientist
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Wow, the image link has many cuddly bacteria... they're so cute!

We had those plushie bacteria teddies in Science when I had to show some people round.
I got distracted and played with them instead of doing my job :D they're so cute!

Anyway, that sounds like a horrible idea.

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

This is the really cool part. No other bodily fluid contains so much information while still being easily accessible. Even seminal fluid doesn't contain as much genetic information.

The_root_of_all_evil:

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

This is the really cool part. No other bodily fluid contains so much information while still being easily accessible. Even seminal fluid doesn't contain as much genetic information.

but seminal fluid is so much more fun to get!

dogstile:

The_root_of_all_evil:

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

This is the really cool part. No other bodily fluid contains so much information while still being easily accessible. Even seminal fluid doesn't contain as much genetic information.

but seminal fluid is so much more fun to get!

At the risk of derailing this topic, I agree.

This seems like an interesting idea, but do we really want to use a 'spit-swab' to protect our computers and personal details? I suppose the medical and private records side of things, like details held by the police or peoples medical records, could use this, but for personal security? Where do these ideas come from in the first place, anyway? (looks shiftily in Root's direction...)

Reminds me of alien resurrection, not that they spat on terminals but exhaled. As your breath also contains traces of your saliva that could work (and not be as gross as it sounds) still i think i'd prefer to stick to good ol' fingerprints and retinal scans. much less invasive :-)

Finger prints are unique enough for security measures, I'm sure. Despite what the movies might have you believe, faking them is nearly impossible...

Imagine having to spit on a machine to access a high-security area. That's going to need a huge spit tray and/or a huge pile of tissues next to it. I suppose they could source those from a teenage boy's room...

I think I'll pass for those security measures...

Am I the only one who got this odd mental image of someone making out with a computer?

Yog Sothoth:
Finger prints are unique enough for security measures, I'm sure. Despite what the movies might have you believe, faking them is nearly impossible...

However, most films have shown them easily beatable by just taking one of the fingers/hands off of someone.
Real life also has its problems if they're removed by burns, or other damage to the hand.

The_root_of_all_evil:

Yog Sothoth:
Finger prints are unique enough for security measures, I'm sure. Despite what the movies might have you believe, faking them is nearly impossible...

However, most films have shown them easily beatable by just taking one of the fingers/hands off of someone.
Real life also has its problems if they're removed by burns, or other damage to the hand.

Surely this method would be messed up if you took any sort of antibiotics?

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

Yeah no kidding and while we're at it how bout fecal matter(poo)

The_root_of_all_evil:

Yog Sothoth:
Finger prints are unique enough for security measures, I'm sure. Despite what the movies might have you believe, faking them is nearly impossible...

However, most films have shown them easily beatable by just taking one of the fingers/hands off of someone.
Real life also has its problems if they're removed by burns, or other damage to the hand.

I think that in the real world, you'd find it far more difficult then you might imagine to take a finger from some one who doesn't want to part with it.

Lukeje:

The_root_of_all_evil:

Yog Sothoth:
Finger prints are unique enough for security measures, I'm sure. Despite what the movies might have you believe, faking them is nearly impossible...

However, most films have shown them easily beatable by just taking one of the fingers/hands off of someone.
Real life also has its problems if they're removed by burns, or other damage to the hand.

Surely this method would be messed up if you took any sort of antibiotics?

TBH, I couldn't tell you as I know very little about biochemistry, but I doubt it. Streptoccocus is remarkably tolerant to antibio's for a start.

Yog Sothoth:

I think that in the real world, you'd find it far more difficult then you might imagine to take a finger from some one who doesn't want to part with it.

All depends on what's on the other side of that lock I think, but spit wins over fingers when it allows anyone in your family (or have just kissed) to be allowed in if you set the parameters wide enough.

How would multiple people go about getting onto the same system? Spitting on something or putting something in your mouth sounds a bit nasty when several other people use the same thing..

The_root_of_all_evil:

Yog Sothoth:

I think that in the real world, you'd find it far more difficult then you might imagine to take a finger from some one who doesn't want to part with it.

All depends on what's on the other side of that lock I think, but spit wins over fingers when it allows anyone in your family (or have just kissed) to be allowed in if you set the parameters wide enough.

That is a good point, but security is an ever evolving battle... it's only be a matter of time before someone figures out how to defeat any given security measure.

In the case of saliva, an unconscious or recently deceased person would still be able to provide a sample for a determined individual....

Mostly what I was trying to get at though is that I think that movies and games are a poor choice for illustrating how easy a given task may or may not be.

Yog Sothoth:

Mostly what I was trying to get at though is that I think that movies and games are a poor choice for illustrating how easy a given task may or may not be.

Very true, which is why I differentiated. Otherwise Mythbusters would be out of a job. :)

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

A device that scans your very soul.

SilentHunter7:

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

A device that scans your very soul.

So Windows 7 then?

I would get something for that if i could definately

The_root_of_all_evil:

SilentHunter7:

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

A device that scans your very soul.

So Windows 7 then?

I said 'scan', not 'eat'. :P

SilentHunter7:

The_root_of_all_evil:

SilentHunter7:

Catkid906:
So we already use finger print, retinal and memory to secure ourselves, and now spit. What's next? Urine? Vomit? Spinal Fluid?

A device that scans your very soul.

So Windows 7 then?

I said 'scan', not 'eat'. :P

And it can only do it if you let your soul near it. I'm too busy trying to "clean" Vista...

Interesting... if the technology for this is created, it'll be great for the aforementioned medical reasons, especially because of the ability to find out what drugs not to administer.

When are people going to realize biometrics are a bad idea for security? You can't chance your spit composition, so once someone figures out how to copy it, or just steal some drool, you're screwed.