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

Exploring the evolution of fingerprint technology

Scientists as early as the 1600s were taking a closer look at the finger itself as a method to identify someone. In 1686, a biologist named Marcello Malpighi identified the loops, ridges, and spirals consistently found in most fingertips. Then, from the mid 1800s to the late 1880s, there were several groups who began using fingerprints to identify individuals, mainly while conducting forensic exercises.

Although most agreed the friction ridge patterns were a practical method to use for identification, the main problem was that there was no formal method to classify the patterns found in fingerprints.

That was until classification systems were developed, as we'll discover in the next section.

Classifying fingers

During the late 1800s, anyone who was involved in using fingerprints for identification saw the value in this promising method. The use of fingerprints was being accepted as evidence in several cases, as this...