AntiOnline News: An Introduction to Biometrics - Part 1 Search Security Sites Find It! Back To AntiOnline | Security Related Files | Have A Question? Ask Bub! | Advertise On AntiOnline An Introduction to Biometrics - Part 1 Monday, March 13, 2000 at 9:43:24 by Thomas K. McCabe - AntiOnline Staff Member This article is to serve as an introduction to the security technology called Biometrics. We hope to enlighten you to the various well known technologies within biometrics which provide the most comprehensive security known to date. From the beginning of time there has always been a need for security. Today the need for security is at it’s greatest. With the boom of the internet and e-commerce, data security and privacy issues are at the forefront of all security related issues we face. In the past the security of personalized data has not been as big of an issue, because the proliferation of data on servers was almost non existent. Today the proliferation of your personal data is much easier and less expensive to to propagate for those who want to buy and sell it. We currently use all forms of identification to prove our identity. Looking through my own wallet I have a drivers license that proves to the state who I am. I have at least 5 monetary cards in my wallet be they bank, credit or smart cards. There is also an electronic building pass that allows me to access various areas of different buildings. Let's not forget user name and passwords for computer systems. I have at least 5 e-mail accounts and at least 30 different memberships on different web sites. What does this mean to you? Well I have at least 110 forms of identification that identifies me. That's 110 different ways that may compromise the security of my identity. That number is different from person to person, however the moral is the same. That is where biometrics comes into play. The definition of biometrics according to www.whatis.com is; Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and statistically analyzing biological data. In information technology, biometrics usually refers to technologies for measuring and analyzing human body characteristics such as fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns, and hand measurements, especially for authenticating someone. As you can see there is no identification methods being used with biometrics, instead your body part verifies who you claim to be. Using biometrics you can be assured that your own personal security will have the least amount of possible ways to be compromised. There are a whole lot of different biometrics out on the market today. For the purpose of this article I will not go into every detail of every biometric, however I will list some of the more common biometric technologies being selected for use in the business world today. I will follow up with detailed information on each of the biometrics listed here in another article. The most common biometric technologies are Face, Finger, Hand Geometry, Print, Iris, Signature and Voice systems. Face systems use cameras to capture the facial image and measure the distance between different facial features such as eyes and lips. Finger systems use scanners to scan an individuals unique fingerprint. These systems measure different points on the finger and the distances between them. Hand Geometry systems take a three dimensional picture of your hand and examines width, length, and shape of fingers. Iris type systems use a camera to capture the image of ones eye. It then measures the unique patterns of that individuals iris. Signature systems use a scanner that captures your signature and measures the uniqueness of it. Did you sign your complete name and then go back to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, or did you sign your first name, then dot the i’s and cross the t’s in that word, and then sign your last name the same way. Voice systems use a microphone to capture the sound of your voice using a specific pattern phrase such as “Computer my voice is my password.” In these systems a unique part of an individual is measured be they a physical body part such as a fingerprint, or a bio-pattern such as voice or signature. In order for the system to work there must be some ground rules. These rules are chosen at the time of implementation. The rules can't be too strict or your system will fail by giving falsified rejects, meaning that someone that should have access to something your system is protecting actually rejects that legitimate user. On the other hand your rules can not be too relaxed or you will grant access to people that should not have access to the information that your system is supposed to be protecting. For instance you may set a rule that says if a cash transaction is being conducted under $500.00 the system needs to be 75% sure you are who you claim to be. For transactions $500.00-$1000 the system would need to be 85% sure, and for transactions over $1000.00 the system would need to be 95% sure. These rules could be more relaxed if the system is not handling cash transactions. Be sure to look for my next article (Part Two) here next week. Related Information On AntiOnline: Social Engineer My Password? How Do I Choose A Good Password? Links To Other Related Sites: The International Biometrics Soc. Biometrika Biometric Imaging Project The Biometric Consortium International Biometric Group Copyright © 1999 AntiOnline LLP. All rights reserved. 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