2 . In a world where nearly 6 million fingerprint records of government employees are stolen in one computer hack, and where millions of people are victims of identity theft every year, the next step in cyber-security may well be mapping your brain.

Researchers at Binghamton University are working on a biometric (生物特征的) system that records how your brain reacts to certain images. With a little more polishing, the scientists’ brainchild could become the way you get into a safe deposit box, your office or past scanners at the airport. It could replace the password for your online banking, your e-mail or your social media accounts.

They started their project by measuring the brain waves of 30 subjects. The subjects were fitted with a cap that had 30 electrodes attached to it, and then shown various images and symbols — celebrity faces, words, pictures of food — on a computer screen in 200-millisecond bursts. The brain’s reaction was recorded.

The idea is that every time a person needs to use a “password”, he or she goes through the same procedure, and the results are matched to their first-time reaction. If the “brainprint” is cracked — like what happened to the fingerprint records — then the system is merely reset by running another set of images and collecting a different set of brain waves.“Even if that was stolen, you could just cancel it and record one to something else”, says professor Laszlo.

Laszlo and her team have shown that their system can be 100 per cent accurate. So one of the most difficult parts of making the system practical already has been overcome. Now, they’re spending much time recording accurate brainprints with as few as three electrodes, which could make recording in the future as easy as wearing a pair of special glasses. They’re also working with cheaper materials and different methods to see if they can bring the cost down.