BIOMETRICS:

Biometric authentication methods –

Factors influencing choice

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l25/visveshwar/biometrics-1.gif

"Bio," means life, and "Metric," means a measure of. So, Biometrics is, in essence, the measure of life. Biometrics uses one or more of the unique human physiological or behavioral characteristics, such as fingerprint, voice recognition, facial recognition, iris scan, retina scan, palm scan, signature dynamics, wrist vein pattern, and hand geometry.

Biometric methods have come to stay wherever multifactor authentication is required. With increasing reporting of infractions of networked information systems, security experts are moving more towards multifactor authentication and identity provisioning methods. Despite various limitations, biometrics is still regarded as a relatively more reliable form of authentication compared to other methods when it comes to authentication of individuals.

Many security managers have considered a number of parameters on which to rank biometric methods before they can be implemented on specific applications. It is also clear that what is suitable for one set of implementation will not be suitable for another since the technology to be chosen depends on the rigor of authentication required in the system and the ease of being embedded into the application.

The major drawback of password-based system is the compromise of the password and PIN which will result in unauthorized access. The basic flaw in this type of system is that there is no fool-proof process which can link the password or the PIN to the individual. This has led to hacking, cracking and illegal penetrations into networks. The limitations of password based security are so large that has resulted in the creation of a million dollar authentication techniques business which depends heavily on multifactor authentication systems. Multifactor authentication systems are often based on the uniqueness of human traits which are hacker-resistant and non-duplicatable.

The Various Methods Used in Biometrics authentication System:

Fingerprint identification:Fingerprint identification is the most commonly recognized and most widely applied form of Biometric technology. Fingerprint ID is based on the fact that a person's fingerprint is completely unique to the individual.

Hand geometry:Hand geometry is even older than digital fingerprinting; it was first used for security purposes on Wall Street more than 20 years ago. Hand geometry is based on the fact that virtually every person a hand is shaped differently and that the shape of a person's hand (after a certain age) does not significantly change. When the user places a hand on the hand reader, a three-dimensional image of the hand is captured. Then, the shape and length of the fingers and knuckles are measured.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l25/visveshwar/biometrics2.gif

Face pattern recognition:Face recognition uses the visible physical structure of the face and analyses the spatial geometry of distinguishing features in it to identify an individual.

Eye scanning: Biometrics, which analyzes the complex and unique characteristics of the eye, can be divided into two different fields: iris biometrics and retina biometrics. The iris is the colored band of tissue that surrounds the pupil of the eye. An iris recognition system uses a video camera to capture the sample while the software compares the resulting data against stored templates.

Signature dynamics:

Signature identification, also known as Dynamic Signature Verification (DSV), analyses the way a user signs his name. It analyses two different areas of an individual's signature: the specific features of the signature and specific features of the process of signing like speed, pen pressure, directions, stroke length, and the points in time when the pen is lifted from the paper.

Voice verification:Voice verification is the science of verifying a person's identity on the basis of their voice characteristics. Unique features of a person's voice are digitized and compared with the individual's pre-recorded "voiceprint" sample stored in the database for identity verification. It is different from speech recognition because the technology does not recognize the spoken word itself. Rather, it recognizes the speaker of the words by analyzing unique speech characteristics, such as the frequency between phonetics.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l25/visveshwar/FujiPalm.jpg

Face recognition:Face recognition systems identify an individual by analyzing the unique shape, pattern and positioning of facial features. There are essentially two methods of processing the data: video and thermal imaging. Standard video techniques are based on the facial image captured by a video camera. Thermal imaging techniques analyze the heat-generated pattern of blood vessels underneath the skin.

The below table gives the various biometric group and its cross over ratio.

Biometric Methods	Cross Over Ratio
Retinal Scan	1:10,000,000+
Iris Scan	1:131,000
Fingerprints	1:500
Hand Geometry	1:500 (against a very small background database)
Signature Dynamics	1:50
Voice Dynamics	1:50

The use of Biometric has increased significantly primarily due to the decreasing cost associated with biometric solutions, the speed with which a biometric transaction can be completed, and the non-obtrusive nature of many of the new biometric readers.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l25/visveshwar/faceplusdots.jpg

Applications of Biometric Devices:

1 Leading car manufacturers use fingerprint recognition as a requirement for ignition of the engine.

2 Disney World uses a fingerprint scanner to verify season-pass holders entering the theme park.

3 GM and Hertz uses voice identification technology to protect their computer facilities.

4 NetNanny has developed a user identification system using keystroke dynamics.

5 British Employment Services use signature verification to verify an individual who is claiming benefits.

6 Pentonville Prison in England employs signature identification to prevent prisoner's signing off food against other prisoner's accounts.

7 Heathrow airport uses iris recognition to check the identity of travellers entering UK.

Future Prospects: Biometry is one of the most promising and life-altering technologies in existence today. It is all set to change the way we live in the future. Some of the emerging biometrics technologies in the near future are:

1. Ear shape identification - measures the shape and geometry of the ear. Ears have more identification richness than any other part of the human body except fingerprints. They do not change significantly from the time the subject reaches adult age.

2. Body odour identification - body odour can be digitally recorded for identification.

3. Body salinity identification - it exploits the natural level of salinity in the human body. An electric field is passed through the body on which data can be carried.

4. EEG Fingerprint - the baseline brainwave pattern of every individual is unique and thus could feasibly meet the qualifications of a biometric.

5. DNA matching - the "Ultimate" biometric technology that would produce proof-positive identification of an individual. This technology is still not considered a "biometric" technology and is years away from any kind of implementation.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l25/visveshwar/biometrics.gif

posted by visveshwar @ 9/28/2006 01:26:00 pm Comments: 0