Synaptics Announces World’s First Match-in-Sensor Fingerprint Authentication Technology

Synaptics today announced a new Match-in-Sensor fingerprint authentication technology, a fully hardware encapsulated fingerprint sensor and matching solution. Synaptics’ innovative Match-in-Sensor secure authentication technology is literally off the grid, isolating fingerprint image enrollment, pattern storage and biometric matching within the fingerprint sensor to provide ultimate protection against on-device threats. Match-in-Sensor is sampling today with key OEMs.

Synaptics’ Match-in-Sensor solution includes a System on Chip (SoC) architecture in which a single device performs both input/output functions with an in-sensor microprocessor executing firmware. By performing security sensitive functions completely inside the SoC, Match-in-Sensor adds a new level of security due to total isolation from the host operating system. Alternative authentication via Match-on-Host is less secure because fingerprint data can be communicated with the host processor, which opens up opportunities for hardware attacks and system malware.

Growth in a password-free ecosystem leads to increased convenience for end-users by providing authentication that is far superior and easier to use than passwords. With password-less convenience and consumer financial transactions leading the way, other secure transactions will be enabled including sharing of private authenticated information and access to SAS software or other consumer and enterprise applications.

I expect some laptop OEMs to integrate this technology in their Windows devices.