It’s a shame really. Netflix’s top performing “Red Notice” is a perfectly entertaining movie that gets a key plot point wrong. Starring Duane “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Godot, Ryan Reynolds, this movie is fast-paced, full of action and style, and also includes a glaring error. At one of the key inflection points in the film, the characters attempt to break into the titanium-lined vault of an international arms dealer in order to steal a priceless art object.
The vault is protected by multi-factor authentication, including facial recognition, voice biometrics, a phone-based pin code amongst other factors. The duo use a quickly created “deep fake” video shown on an iPad to defeat the security as they attempt to access the vault.
I will leave off the rest of the plot to prevent any “spoilers” however, there is one thing clear here. While many authentication factors, including facial recognition and pin codes, can be spoofed, replayed or intercepted, the best voice biometrics systems cannot.
ValidSoft is a technology leader in the voice-based authentication business for exactly this reason. In real-time we analyze over 150 components of an individual’s “voiceprint” which is more unique than even a fingerprint or retinal scan. Faces can be faked, confused or interchanged (just ask my twin daughters who swapped faces to unlock an iPhone). Replay and deep fake attacks don’t fool true voice biometrics. Anyone wanting to understand more about this, please reach out and I will send you our latest whitepaper.
So, despite the glitzy glamor of the film and its all star cast, I must say “sorry fellas, if ValidSoft was used to protect the vault, the story would have gone in a completely different direction.”
Maybe the next “Mission Impossible” installment will get the technical details right.
Like this post? Spread the word!
