Biometrics in Security

Svetlana V. Drachova-StrangCPSC 681

Feb 23, 2006

What is Biometrics

Biometrics is use of person’s unique physiological and behavioral,

or physical characteristics to determine or verify identity in order to

grant access to a protected location or device.

• Physiological Characteristics: fingerprint, retina, iris, DNA, hand geometry,

voice and face recognition

• Behavioral Characteristics: signature, keystroke behavior

Biometric systems use:

• Convenient – always with you, it’s what you are

• Unique for each person – genotype + phenotype

• Stable for lifespan – throughout aging and deceases

• Untransferable to another – can not give, borrow, or steal

• Hard or difficult to fake – liveness is unfakeable

• Quantifiable – counted, numbered, expressed by mathematical means

Why Use Biometrics ?

Biometrics in Use Today

• Fingerprint identification • Iris Scan

• Retina Scan

• Hand geometry

• Face Recognition

• Voice Recognition

• DNA ?

• Signature Verification • Keystroke Behavior

• Others

Fingerprint Identification

• What is a “latent fingerprint” ?

• Fingerprints are unique – how about identical twins ?

• Fingerprints are persistent – how long do they last ?

• Fingerprints are well understood – they’ve been around

• Fingerprinting technology is inexpensive …

• What’s in a fingerprint – features (ridges, valleys) and patterns (arches, loops, whorls).

loop arch whorl

Historical Facts about Fingerprints

Prehistoric:

• In Babylon – clay tablets with business transactions

• 14th century Persia – fingerprint impressions on government papers, uniqueness is observed

• In Ancient China – thumb prints on clay seals

Europe

• 1686 – Marcello Malpighi, professor of anatomy, U of Bologna wrote a treatise on ridges, loops and spirals.

• 1823 – John Evangelist Purkinje, a professor of anatomy, University of Breslau, published his thesis discussing 9 fingerprint patterns.

• 1858 – Sir William Herschel, Chief Magistrate of a district in Jungipoor, India, used fingerprints on native contracts. Later used palm prints and right thumb. Noticed their uniqueness and permanence.

• 1880 – Dr. Henry Faulds, British Surgeon-Superintendent published an article where he discussed fingerprints as a means of identification,

and the use of printers ink as a method for obtaining such fingerprints.

There were others …

Historical Facts about Fingerprints cont’d

Historical Facts about Fingerprints cont’d

America

• 1882 – Gilbert Thompson of the U.S. Geological Survey in New Mexico, used his fingerprints on a document to prevent forgery. First known use of fingerprints in the United States. 

• 1902 – First systematic use of fingerprints in the US by NY Civil Service Commission for testing. Henry P. DeForrest pioneers US Fingerprinting.

• 1903 – NY State Prison used fingerprints on prisoners.

• 1904 – First repository: National Bureau of Criminal Identification.  

• 1905, 1907, 1908 – US Army, Navy and Marine Corps begin using fingerprints.

• 2005 – FBI’s IAFIS has > 49 million records.

Some Identification Techniques

• Minutia based – assigns XY coordinates to ridge branches and endings and stores them in file.

• Correlation based – examines overall pattern of ridges and valleys.

… several other techniques…

Many image enhancing algorithms.

Both described methods have drawbacks, neither keeps images, only data. Recreation of the fingerprint image from data is impossible.

Fingerprint Identification Accuracy

• Not 100% accurate.

• Reported FAR/FRR rates 3-5%.

• Quality of the print is critical, many factors involved.

• FakeableYes, numerous ways and recipes on the web:latex fakes, molds, images, cadaver finger, etc…

• Liveness Tests are needed to ensure identity: blood pressure, skin luminosity, resistance, temperature.

Fingerprint Readers

Biopoint reader USB reader USB reader

PCMCIA reader IBM laptops

Applications

• Criminal Identification• Homeland Security• Personal/Child Identification • ATMs• Laptops and desktop computers, handhelds, cell phones• Jobsite clocking in/out devices • Car locks• House locks• Airport security• Safes, vaults, etc.

Companies:

Numerous:Identicator, Biocompare, VeriFinger, … many many others …

Hand Geometry

• Use geometric shape of the hand to determine user’s identity.

• Camera gets 2 orthogonal 2-D images of the palm and side of the hand.

• Get 90 measurements: finger width, height and length, distance between joints, knuckle shapes.

Hand Geometry

Advantages:

• Need to keep small amount of data, no large images to save.

• Simple algorithm.

• Devices are rugged.

• Hands are not highly distinctive.

• Devices are large and expensive.

• Error rates 2-10%

• Difficult to fake a real hand

• Embedded liveness test

Disadvantages:

Hand Geometry

Companies:

• Dominated by Recognition Systems, Inc.

Uses:

• Controlled accesses in the banks, and other places

• Airport security

• Supplemental Security

Hand Readers

NOVAtime Technology, Inc.

Kantech, Inc.

Retinal Scan

• Retinal scan uses blood vessel patterns for identification

• Retinas are unique – even in twins and both person’s eyes

• Exceptionally accurate – came from ophthalmology, less than .5% error rate.

• Non-intrusive – shines infrared into your eye, no scary lasers !!!

• Persistent – deceases and injury do not change it.

Retina Scan

Advantages:

• No, no way to replicate retina, cadaver retina deteriorates too fast.

Disadvantages:

• Very Expensive hardware

Used:

• Access to highly secure areas, military installations, power plants.

Companies:

• EyeDentify dominates the market.

• Emergent company Retinal Technologies.

Retina Scanners

Access Scanner at Workplace

Scanning airline passengers

Iris Scan

• Iris scan analyzes random variations in the visible features: speckles, furrows, rings.

• Irises are unique – even in twins and both person’s eyes

• Exceptionally accurate – came from ophthalmology, less than 1 in a million error rate.

• Persistent – deceases and injury do not change it.

Iris Scan

Advantages:

• No, no way to replicate iris, systems detect pupil dilation.

Disadvantages:

• Very Expensive hardware

Used:

• Access to highly secure areas, military installations, power plants, airports.

Companies:

• EyeTicket, IrisGuard, IrisPass, Iridian Technologies, LG Electronics.

Iris Scanners

Panasonic iris scanner

Iridian Technology, Inc.

Iridian Technology, Inc.

Face Recognition

Measure and analyze overall structure and shape, distance between eyes, nose, mouth, jaw lines.

May include:

• Facial geometry

• Facial thermogram

• Skin pattern recognition

• Smile recognition

Most systems use straight 2D Images – “mug shots”

Face Recognition

Advantages:

• Inexpensive equipment – can use a small digital camera connected to a PC

• Fast

Disadvantages:

• Liveness required to detect face molds

• Should be use as part of multimodal system, combined with facial thermogram for example.

• Error rate is high: 4 in 100 faces

Face Recognition

Face Thermogram

Skin Pattern Scan

Face Recognition

Face Recognition

NEC 3D Face Recognition system

Dual pin/face scan system Face recognition system

DNA

DNS is different from other biometrics:

• Part of genotype, unique, except in identical twins.

• Does not employ feature extraction, needs to compare actual samples.

• Intrusive, requires a physical sample such as blood, skin cells, hair, etc.

• Can’t be done in real time yet, though processing is getting shorter.

• The odds that two people have same DNA profile is 1 in a billion.

• Process not fully automated.

Keystroke Dynamics

How it works:

• Every person’s typing is unique, determined by neuro-physiological and behavioral aspects.

• Templates are built beforehand by having user type dynamic or static text sequences and analyzing them.

• User’s typing is compared with the stored template, either once at login, or over the duration of the session, of at certain intervals.

• Access is granted if current typing behavior matches template according to preestablished probabilities.

Keystroke Dynamics

Measurements used in building a template:

• length of time each key is held down

• length of time between keystrokes

• key pressure

• typing speed

• keystroke sequences involved in capitalization.

• tendencies to switch between a numeric keypad and keyboard numbers

Keystroke Dynamics

Advantages:

• Easy to implement and use: no HW required, relies on SW

• Low cost or free

• Non-intrusive

Disadvantages:

• Not much data is currently available about its accuracy

• Has to be a supplemental authentication technique

• Influenced by too many factors: hand injuries, fatigue, arthritis, temperature, body position, type of keyboard used.

• Convenient – always with you, it’s what you are

• Unique for each person – genotype + phenotype

• Stable for lifespan – throughout aging and deceases

• Untransferable to another – can not give, borrow, or steal

• Hard or difficult to fake – liveness is unfakeable

• Quantifiable – counted, numbered, expressed by mathematical means

Why Use Biometrics ?

The End ;)

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