Biometrics and Privacy

What is Biometrics ?
Biometrics are automated methods of
recognizing a person based on a
physiological or behavioral characteristic.

Identification and personal certification

solutions for highly secure applications.
Why the Interest in Biometrics?
Authentication mechanisms often used are User
ID and Passwords.
Need not have multiple passwords or difficult
passwords.
Need not remember passwords.
Need not carry any cards or tokens.
Can’t be separated.
Biometrics systems are more convenient.
Perceived as more secure
Three-steps
Ca pt ur e-Proce ss-V erif ica ti on
Ca pt ur e: A raw biometric is captured by a
sensing device such as fingerprint scanner or
video camera
Proce ss: The distinguishing characteristics are
extracted from the raw biometrics sample and
converted into a processed biometric identifier
record
 Called biometric sample or template
Verifi ca ti on and Id ent if ication
Verification
Compare a sample against a single
stored template.

?
Verification (1:1 match)
Person Image Template

Scan Encode 0110100100010010

YES Match? NO

0110100100010010

01101
01000 Are you who you
10010

ID token claim you are ?

Identification
Search a sample against a database of
templates.

?
 Identification (1:N search)
Person Image Template

Scan Encode 0110100100010010

YES (found) Match? NO (not found)

0110100100010010

Who are you? 0110100100010010

0101011000110010
Are you in our database?
Database
Biometrics Today
Fingerprints
Retina Prints
Face Prints
DNA Identification
Voice Prints
Palm Prints
Handwriting Analysis
Etc…
Accuracy Rates:
False Acceptance Rate (FAR)
 Measures the percent of invalid users who
are incorrectly accepted as genuine users.
False Rejection Rate (FRR)
 Measures the percent of valid users who
are rejected as impostors.
Equal Error Rate (EER)
 Rate at which FAR and FRR match.
Accuracy Rates (contd.)
The lower the EER, the more accurate
the system is considered to be.
Issues and Concerns
 Ph ys ical - Some believe this technology can
cause physical harm to an individual using the
methods, or that instruments used are unsanitary.
 Pe rs onal In format ion - There are concerns
whether our personal information taken through
biometric methods can be misused, tampered
with, or sold.
 Voters may be scared off if forced to give a
fingerprint.
Uses and initiatives
Brazi l
 Brazilian government has decided to adopt
fingerprint-based Id cards.
United St at es
 The US Department of Defense (DoD) Common
Access Card, is a fingerprint-based ID card issued
to all US Service personnel and contractors on US
Military sites.
Uses and Initiative (contd..)
Germany
 In May 2005 the German Upper House of
Parliament approved the implementation of
the ePass, a passport issued to all German
citizens which contain biometric
technology.
Aust ra li a
 Visitors intending to visit Australia may
soon have to submit to biometric
authentication.
Biometrics in Detail
Biometrics Today
Fingerprints
Retina Prints
Face Prints
DNA Identification
Voice Prints
Palm Prints
Handwriting Analysis
Etc…
FI NGE RPRINTS
Introduction

What makes a fingerprint so special?

A fingerprint is unique
No two fingerprints from different fingers have
been found to have the same ridge pattern.

A fingerprint doesn’t change,

A fingerprint ridge patterns are unchanging
throughout life.
Fingerprint (contd..)
Ridge ending

Ridge bifurcation
Finger-scan
A live acquisition of a person’s fingerprint.
Ima ge Acqu isi tio n → Ima ge
Pro cessi ng → Te mpl at e
Cre at ion → Templa te Mat ching
Image Capture
Optical fingerprint
- Finger on a glass surface
- A Laser Light
- CCD array captures the reflected light.
Fi nger pr in t P atte rn Ty pe s

Loo p

Wh orl

Ar ch
Finge rprint Pa ttern Types (contd. )

Loo p
In a loop pattern, the ridges
enter from either side, re-curve and
pass out or tend to pass out the
same side they entered.
Finge rprint Pa ttern Types (contd. )

Whorl
In a whorl pattern, the ridges
are usually circular.
Finge rprint Pa ttern Types (contd. )

Arc h
In an arch pattern the ridges
enter from one side, make a rise in
the center and exit generally on the
opposite side.
Fingerprint ma tch ing a pproach es

Mi nut iae B ased

 This approach analyses ridge bifurcations

and endings.

Cor rec tion Bas ed

 This approach considers the flow of ridges

in terms of, for example, arches, loops and

whorls.
Chara cteris tic s of two m ajo r a ppr oa ches :
Image Processing and Verification Stages

Capture •Hardware
fingerprint •Image specification

Image •Noise
(Image Enhancement)
Feature
Extraction
•Minutia approach

Verification
Image Proces. & Verif. (Ima ge Enha nce ment )

Original image with noise.

Source of noise, the finger
tip itself become dirty, cut,
scarred, creased, dry, wet,
worn etc.
Image Proces. & Verif. (Ima ge Enha nce ment )

Image Enhancement step

• Reduce noise
• Enhance ridges and valleys
Based on the redundancy
of parallel ridges.
Image Proces. & Verif. (Ima ge Enha nce ment )

Matched filters
Applied on very pixel, based on
the local orientation around
each pixel.
Enhance ridges oriented in
same direction.
Decrease anything that
orienting differently.
Image Proces. & Verif. (Ima ge Enha nce ment )

Simplifying the color

depth from the original
8-bit color depth to 1-
bit pixel color.
Ridge against
background
Image Proces. & Verif. (Ima ge Enha nce ment )

Thinning
Reduce the width of a
ridges down to a single
pixel.
Image Proces. & Verif. (Fea tu re Ex tra cti ng )

Find minutiae
Remove those
attributes that are
created by noise, based
on the previous
images.
Image Proces. & Verif. (Fea tu re Ex tra cti ng )

Result is a minutia
template
400 bytes to store a
fingerprint.
Image Proces. & Verif. (Verif ic at io n )

Distance functions between

the attributes.
Threshold.
Fingerprint

Str eng ths :

 Fingerprints don’t change over time
 Widely believed fingerprints are unique
We akn esse s:
 Scars
At tacks :
 Surgery to alter or remove prints
 “Gummy fingers”
 Corruption of the database
Def ense s:
 Measure physical properties of a live finger
(pulse)
Facial Scan
Based on video Images
Templates can be based
on previously-recorded
images.
Technologies:
 Eigen-face Approach.
 Feature Analysis (Visionics).
 Neural Network.
Iris Scan
Image Acquisition → Image
Processing → Template
Creation → Template Matching
Uses:
 Physical access control

 Computer authentication
Iris Scan (contd.):

Str eng ths :

 300+ characteristics; 200 required for match
We akn esse s:
 Fear
 Discomfort
At tacks :
 Surgery (Minority Report )
Voice

Strengths:
 Most systems have audio hardware
 Works over the telephone
 Can be done covertly
 Lack of negative perception
Weaknesses:
 Background noise (airplanes)
 No large database of voice samples
Attacks:
 Tape recordings
 Identical twins / sound alikes
Defenses:
Hand Scan
Typ ical systems meas ur e 90 dif ferent featur es:
 Overall hand and finger width
 Distance between joints
 Bone structure
Pri ma ril y for acces s control :
 Machine rooms
 Olympics
Streng th s:
 No negative connotations – non-
intrusive
 Reasonably robust systems
Wea knes ses :
 Accuracy is limited; can only be used for
1-to-1 verification
 Bulky scanner
Oddballs
Retina Scan
 Very popular in the 1980s military; not
used much anymore.
Facial Thermo grams
Vein identification
Scent Detection
Gait recognition
Biometric Template Size
Biometr ic App rox Templa te
Si ze
Voice 70k – 80k
Face 84 bytes – 2k
Signature 500 bytes – 1000 bytes
Fingerprint 256 bytes – 1.2k
Hand Geometry 9 bytes
Iris 256 bytes – 512 bytes
Retina 96 bytes