Book Image

Identity Management with Biometrics

By : Lisa Bock
Book Image

Identity Management with Biometrics

By: Lisa Bock

Overview of this book

Biometric technologies provide a variety of robust and convenient methods to securely identify and authenticate an individual. Unlike a password or smart card, biometrics can identify an attribute that is not only unique to an individual, but also eliminates any possibility of duplication. Identity Management with Biometrics is a solid introduction for anyone who wants to explore biometric techniques, such as fingerprint, iris, voice, palm print, and facial recognition. Starting with an overview of biometrics, you’ll learn the various uses and applications of biometrics in fintech, buildings, border control, and many other fields. You’ll understand the characteristics of an optimal biometric system and then review different types of errors and discover the benefits of multi-factor authentication. You’ll also get to grips with analyzing a biometric system for usability and accuracy and understand the process of implementation, testing, and deployment, along with addressing privacy concerns. The book outlines the importance of protecting biometric data by using encryption and shows you which factors to consider and how to analyze them before investing in biometric technologies. By the end of this book, you’ll be well-versed with a variety of recognition processes and be able to make the right decisions when implementing biometric technologies.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Section 1 –Understanding Biometric Authentication
6
Section 2 – Applying Biometric Technologies
12
Section 3 – Deploying a Large-Scale Biometric System

Recognizing the push for standards

Technical standards provide guidelines as to how a method, process, protocol, or device must work. On many occasions, standards are developed by a governing body to ensure consistency and interoperability. For example, the governing body IEEE defines 802.11, a family of specifications that outlines best practices for wireless networks.

We know that using biometrics provides a simpler sign-in experience with added security. Providing standards when dealing with biometrics will help the industry expand the use of biometrics across all vertical markets.

Just like the early days of IEEE 802.11, biometrics did not have any formalized standards until the 2000s, when the United States (US) and foreign governments began to take a closer look at providing a strong identity management infrastructure. Let's examine this in the following section.

Taking a closer look at biometrics

One of the most significant events that pushed the US government...