The MIT Technology Review reports that researchers have found a way to overcome the traditional limitations of voice biometrics as a reliable method of authentication.

RC Johnson and some fellow researchers from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs say that when using a voice template, a more reliable authentication system is created.

In this system, users set up an account by recording a large number of words and phrases that are then encrypted and sent to the company employing the technology. These recordings become the template that’s used to verify a person.

The researchers use an approach they call Vaulted Voice Verification to make sure the data remains secure. The voice data is never transmitted in the authentication process; rather, the company sends two encrypted versions of the words or phrases to a mobile phone. Software on the phone listens to the files and compares them to ensure the proper person is at the other end.

Read more here.