Biometric Recognition: Overview and Applications

Earlier forms of person identification or verification like usernames, passwords or personal identification numbers (PINs) are still in use though not sufficiently effective in handling Internet crimes, frauds and security threats. Biometric person identification is preferred because biometric identifiers are unique to each person, permanent and hardly subject to change. These advantages make biometric recognition the preferred mode for most virtual and access control. Biometrics is universal and easily implemented with existing or new technologies. This paper discusses biometric recognition; the different modalities of biometric recognition technology; their strengths, limitations and applications

Biometrics Authentication of Fingerprint with Using Fingerprint Reader and Microcontroller Arduino

The idea of security is as old as humanity itself. Between oldest methods of security were included simple mechanical locks whose authentication element was the key. At first, a universal–simple type, later unique for each lock. A long time had mechanical locks been the sole option for protection against unauthorized access. The boom of biometrics has come in the 20th century, and especially in recent years, biometrics is much expanded in the various areas of our life. Opposite of traditional security methods such as passwords, access cards, and hardware keys, it offers many benefits. The main benefits are the uniqueness and the impossibility of their loss. The main benefits are the uniqueness and the impossibility of their loss. Therefore we focussed in this paper on the the design of low cost biometric fingerprint system and subsequent implementation of this system in praxtise. Our main goal was to create a system that is capable of recognizing fingerprints from a user and then processing them. The main part of this system is the microcontroller Arduino Yun with an external interface to the scan of the fingerprint with a name Adafruit R305 (special reader). This microcontroller communicates with the external database, which ensures the exchange of data between Arduino Yun and user application. This application was created for (currently) most widespread mobile operating system-Android

Body language, security and e-commerce

Security is becoming an increasingly more important concern both at the desktop level and at the network level. This article discusses several approaches to authenticating individuals through the use of biometric devices. While libraries might not implement such devices, they may appear in the near future of desktop computing, particularly for access to institutional computers or for access to sensitive information. Other approaches to computer security focus on protecting the contents of electronic transmissions and verification of individual users. After a brief overview of encryption technologies, the article examines public-key cryptography which is getting a lot of attention in the business world in what is called public key infrastructure. It also examines other efforts, such as IBM’s Cryptolope, the Secure Sockets Layer of Web browsers, and Digital Certificates and Signatures. Secure electronic transmissions are an important condition for conducting business on the Net. These business transactions are not limited to purchase orders, invoices, and contracts. This could become an important tool for information vendors and publishers to control access to the electronic resources they license. As license negotiators and contract administrators, librarians need to be aware of what is happening in these new technologies and the impact that will have on their operations

Usability and Trust in Information Systems

The need for people to protect themselves and their assets is as old as humankind. People's physical safety and their possessions have always been at risk from deliberate attack or accidental damage. The advance of information technology means that many individuals, as well as corporations, have an additional range of physical (equipment) and electronic (data) assets that are at risk. Furthermore, the increased number and types of interactions in cyberspace has enabled new forms of attack on people and their possessions. Consider grooming of minors in chat-rooms, or Nigerian email cons: minors were targeted by paedophiles before the creation of chat-rooms, and Nigerian criminals sent the same letters by physical mail or fax before there was email. But the technology has decreased the cost of many types of attacks, or the degree of risk for the attackers. At the same time, cyberspace is still new to many people, which means they do not understand risks, or recognise the signs of an attack, as readily as they might in the physical world. The IT industry has developed a plethora of security mechanisms, which could be used to mitigate risks or make attacks significantly more difficult. Currently, many people are either not aware of these mechanisms, or are unable or unwilling or to use them. Security experts have taken to portraying people as "the weakest link" in their efforts to deploy effective security [e.g. Schneier, 2000]. However, recent research has revealed at least some of the problem may be that security mechanisms are hard to use, or be ineffective. The review summarises current research on the usability of security mechanisms, and discusses options for increasing their usability and effectiveness

Forgery-Resistant Touch-based Authentication on Mobile Devices

Mobile devices store a diverse set of private user data and have gradually become a hub to control users' other personal Internet-of-Things devices. Access control on mobile devices is therefore highly important. The widely accepted solution is to protect access by asking for a password. However, password authentication is tedious, e.g., a user needs to input a password every time she wants to use the device. Moreover, existing biometrics such as face, fingerprint, and touch behaviors are vulnerable to forgery attacks. We propose a new touch-based biometric authentication system that is passive and secure against forgery attacks. In our touch-based authentication, a user's touch behaviors are a function of some random "secret". The user can subconsciously know the secret while touching the device's screen. However, an attacker cannot know the secret at the time of attack, which makes it challenging to perform forgery attacks even if the attacker has already obtained the user's touch behaviors. We evaluate our touch-based authentication system by collecting data from 25 subjects. Results are promising: the random secrets do not influence user experience and, for targeted forgery attacks, our system achieves 0.18 smaller Equal Error Rates (EERs) than previous touch-based authentication.Comment: Accepted for publication by ASIACCS'1

Biometrics and Network Security

This paper examines the techniques used in the two categories of biometric techniques (physiological and behavioral) and considers some of the applications for biometric technologies. Common physiological biometrics include finger characteristics (fingertip [fingerprint], thumb, finger length or pattern), palm (print or topography), hand geometry, wrist vein, face, and eye (retina or iris). Behavioral biometrics include voiceprints, keystroke dynamics, and handwritten signatures

Biometric Boom: How the Private Sector Commodifies Human Characteristics

Biometric technology has become an increasingly common part of daily life. Although biometrics have been used for decades, recent ad- vances and new uses have made the technology more prevalent, particu- larly in the private sector. This Note examines how widespread use of biometrics by the private sector is commodifying human characteristics. As the use of biometrics has become more extensive, it exacerbates and exposes individuals and industry to a number of risks and problems asso- ciated with biometrics. Despite public belief, biometric systems may be bypassed, hacked, or even fail. The more a characteristic is utilized, the less value it will hold for security purposes. Once compromised, a biome- tric cannot be replaced as would a password or other security device. This Note argues that there are strong justifications for a legal struc- ture that builds hurdles to slow the adoption of biometrics in the private sector. By examining the law and economics and personality theories of commodification, this Note identifies market failure and potential harm to personhood due to biometrics. The competing theories justify a reform to protect human characteristics from commodification. This Note presents a set of principles and tools based on defaults, disclosures, incen- tives, and taxation to discourage use of biometrics, buying time to streng- then the technology, educate the public, and establish legal safeguards for when the technology is compromised or fails