Edge-centric multimodal authentication system using encrypted biometric templates

Data security, complete system control, and missed storage and computing opportunities in personal portable devices are some of the major limitations of the centralized cloud environment. Among these limitations, security is a prime concern due to potential unauthorized access to private data. Biometrics, in particular, is considered sensitive data, and its usage is subject to the privacy protection law. To address this issue, a multimodal authentication system using encrypted biometrics for the edge-centric cloud environment is proposed in this study. Personal portable devices are utilized for encrypting biometrics in the proposed system, which optimizes the use of resources and tackles another limitation of the cloud environment. Biometrics is encrypted using a new method. In the proposed system, the edges transmit the encrypted speech and face for processing in the cloud. The cloud then decrypts the biometrics and performs authentication to confirm the identity of an individual. The model for speech authentication is based on two types of features, namely, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and perceptual linear prediction coefficients. The model for face authentication is implemented by determining the eigenfaces. The final decision about the identity of a user is based on majority voting. Experimental results show that the new encryption method can reliably hide the identity of an individual and accurately decrypt the biometrics, which is vital for errorless authentication

Privacy, security, and trust issues in smart environments

Recent advances in networking, handheld computing and sensor technologies have driven forward research towards the realisation of Mark Weiser's dream of calm and ubiquitous computing (variously called pervasive computing, ambient computing, active spaces, the disappearing computer or context-aware computing). In turn, this has led to the emergence of smart environments as one significant facet of research in this domain. A smart environment, or space, is a region of the real world that is extensively equipped with sensors, actuators and computing components [1]. In effect the smart space becomes a part of a larger information system: with all actions within the space potentially affecting the underlying computer applications, which may themselves affect the space through the actuators. Such smart environments have tremendous potential within many application areas to improve the utility of a space. Consider the potential offered by a smart environment that prolongs the time an elderly or infirm person can live an independent life or the potential offered by a smart environment that supports vicarious learning