Biometrics and Authentication
Lets Define !
“A biometric is a physiological or behavioral
characteristic of a human being that can distinguish
one person from another and that theoretically can
be used for identification or verification of identity.”
Biometrics as Authentication
Authentication depends on
• What you have
• What you know
• What you ARE !
Why Biometrics?
• Identity thefts
• Something you know can be stolen
• Predicted or hacked
• Reliability on manual verification
Application Categories
Biometric applications available today are
categorized into 2 sectors
• Psychological: Iris, Fingerprints, Hand,
Retinal and Face recognition
• Behavioral: Voice, Typing pattern, Signature
Biometric Authentication Process
• Acquisition
• Creation of Master characteristics
• Storage of Master characteristics
• Acquisition(s)
• Comparison
• Decision
Retinal Scanning
• Scans retina into database
• User looks straight into retinal reader
• Scan using low intensity light
• Very efficient – cant be spoofed!
Disadvantages
• User has to look “directly”
• FTE ratio high in this biometric
• Acceptability concerns
– Light exposure
– Hygiene
Iris Scanner
• Scans unique pattern of iris
• Iris is colored and visible from far
• No touch required
• Overcomes retinal scanner issues
• Contact lenses an issue?
Fingerprint recognition
• A fingerprint is made of a series of ridges and
furrows on the surface of the finger.
• Divides print into loops, whorls and arch
• Calculates minutiae points (ridge endings)
• Comparisons
• Authentication
FINGER PRINT PATTERN TYPE
Commercial Governme Forensic
nt
Computer Network National ID card, Corpse Identification
Logon, Correctional Criminal Investigation,
Electronic Data Facilities, Terrorist
Security, Driver’s License, Identification,
E-Commerce, Social Security, Parenthood
Internet Access, Welfare determination,
ATM, Credit Card, Disbursement, Missing Children, etc.
Physical Access Border Control,
Control, Passport Control,
Cellular Phones etc.
Personal Digital
Assistant,
Medical Records,
Distance Leaning,
etc.
Fingerprint techniques
• Optical
• Capacitive
• Ultrasonic
OPTICAL
• Optical fingerprint imaging involves
capturing a digital image of the print
using visible light.
CAPACITIVE
• Capacitance sensors utilize the
principles associated with capacitance
in order to form fingerprint images.
ULTRASONIC
• Ultrasonic sensors make use of the
principles of medical ultrasonography
in order to create visual images of the
fingerprint.
Disadvantages
• Dirt , grime and wounds
• Placement of finger
• Too big a database to process
• Can be spoofed –liveness important!
Hand Geometry
• Geometry of users hands
• More reliable than fingerprinting
• Balance in performance and usability
The feature include
characteristics such as
• Finger curves
• Thickness and length
• The height and width of the back of the
hand
• The distances between joints and overall
bone structure.
Mechanism
• A hand is placed on a reader’s covered flat
surface.
• This placement is positioned by five guides or
pins that correctly situate the hand for the
cameras.
• A succession of cameras captures 3-D pictures
of the sides and back of the hand.
Application
• Internationally, many airports use hand-scan devices to
permit frequent international travelers to by-pass waiting
lines for various immigration and customs systems.
• Employers use hand-scan for entry/exit, recording staff
movement and time/attendance procedures. This can go
long way to eradicating the age old problem of buddy-
clocking and other deceptive activities.
Disadvantage
• Very large scanners
• More expesive than finger scan.
Thank You!!