Biometric technology is any technology that incorporates biometrics. Biometrics is the use of physical or behavioral characteristics for the purpose of identification of individuals. The most common use for biometric technology is biometric access control, but there are many other uses.
There are many kinds of biometric traits that biometric technology can scan for including fingerprints, retina, voice, facial recognition, and even gait. Depending on the application, biometric technology may utilize data from one or more biometric traits.
The most common piece of biometric technology is the fingerprint scanner. Biometric systems from high security facilities to an individual home computer utilize fingerprint biometric technology. Walt Disney World heavily utilizes fingerprint biometric technology for access control and to prevent ticket fraud.
Other kinds of biometric technology recognize faces. Facial recognition utilizes computers to collect face data and powerful software utilizes pattern recognition to find a match. Las Vegas casinos utilize this kind of technology to identify known cheats and other people who are banned from the casino. Police and military are also utilizing facial recognition biometric technology to identify known criminals, terrorists, and suspects.
Any utilized biometric technology must be reliable and secure. This means access control systems must not provide false positives (allowing in people who should be allowed in) or false negatives (not allowing in those who should be allowed). Facial recognition software utilized in public spaces must be highly accurate. A casino or amusement park would not want to harass an innocent visitor and the police or military would not want to take an innocent person into custody.
There are many who feel that the use of biometric technology intrudes on personal privacy, but no matter what you think of biometric technology, it is here to stay. You can expect to see it utilized more and more in the workplace, in transactions with the government, banks, and many other areas of daily life.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Biometric Fingerprint Reader
A biometric fingerprint reader is a biometric system that scans a fingerprint for the purpose of identifying a unique individual. The purpose of identification is usually access control to a building, room, and frequently to computer systems. The biometric fingerprint reader is the most common biometric device and no doubt something most of us are familiar.
A biometric fingerprint reader works by making a scan of access seeker’s finger. The access seeker places their finger on a window and the device makes a scan. It then attempts to match that scan with scans already in its database. If the software finds a match, the biometric fingerprint reader sends a message to some other system with the message that the person should have access.
Of course, for the system to work, it must be configured. The biometric fingerprint reader will probably scan two different fingers around four times each. It stores those images in the database for later matching. It is a good idea to scan at least two fingers because something might happen to your primary finger (a cut or a burn, for instance) that could throw off the system.
A common use for a biometric fingerprint reader is for access control to a personal computer. You can replace a password login with a fingerprint login. Many biometric fingerprint readers for personal computers also allow you to replace passwords on Websites with fingerprint scans. Be aware that, while convenient, may not be a good idea in every situation. For instance, it would be a very bad idea to replace a password login to a sensitive site like a bank with a password. For sites that aren’t that sensitive, but still require passwords, a fingerprint login could be quite convenient.
You might also want to think twice about replacing your personal computer account login with a fingerprint. If your login gets corrupted and you need to access your files through alternative means (boot disk, safe mode, etc.) the biometric fingerprint reader may not allow it. Aside from these caveats, a biometric fingerprint reader could make logins much more convenient.
A biometric fingerprint reader works by making a scan of access seeker’s finger. The access seeker places their finger on a window and the device makes a scan. It then attempts to match that scan with scans already in its database. If the software finds a match, the biometric fingerprint reader sends a message to some other system with the message that the person should have access.
Of course, for the system to work, it must be configured. The biometric fingerprint reader will probably scan two different fingers around four times each. It stores those images in the database for later matching. It is a good idea to scan at least two fingers because something might happen to your primary finger (a cut or a burn, for instance) that could throw off the system.
A common use for a biometric fingerprint reader is for access control to a personal computer. You can replace a password login with a fingerprint login. Many biometric fingerprint readers for personal computers also allow you to replace passwords on Websites with fingerprint scans. Be aware that, while convenient, may not be a good idea in every situation. For instance, it would be a very bad idea to replace a password login to a sensitive site like a bank with a password. For sites that aren’t that sensitive, but still require passwords, a fingerprint login could be quite convenient.
You might also want to think twice about replacing your personal computer account login with a fingerprint. If your login gets corrupted and you need to access your files through alternative means (boot disk, safe mode, etc.) the biometric fingerprint reader may not allow it. Aside from these caveats, a biometric fingerprint reader could make logins much more convenient.
Biometric Devices
Biometrics is the science of recognizing a human being based on their physical or behavioral traits. Biometric devices are any devices that scan one or more physical aspects of a human being for the purpose of identification.
Biometric devices come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of sophistication. The purpose of these devices is usually to act as a gatekeeper to access – that is to say, they identify a person based on physical characteristics to signal some other system (such as a locking mechanism) to provide access. Biometric systems are the proverbial doorman checking everyone out before providing access.
Biometric devices may scan for only one physical or behavioral trait or many. For instance, a computer may have a biometric fingerprint scanner attached. The user who wants access to the computer must place his or her finger on the scanner for verification. The device scans the fingerprint and matches against other fingerprints in its database. This process is not much different than when login software checks an entered password against passwords in its database to determine if the person should have access, only a biometrics system uses pattern recognition – it is matching a scan a fingerprint of the person who currently wants access with those in its database. If it finds a match, it will let the person in to the system.
Other kinds of more sophisticated biometric devices may scan for more than one physical. An example might be a fingerprint scanner combined with a retinal scanner. The biometric device would scan the person’s fingerprint and match it in its database then have the person put their eye up to a camera and take a picture of the retina. The retina, like a fingerprint, is unique to the individual. The system would take the pattern of the retina and match it with patterns in its database. If both the fingerprint and the retina patterns match, biometric devices then send a signal to another system to provide the access requested.
Biometric devices come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of sophistication. The purpose of these devices is usually to act as a gatekeeper to access – that is to say, they identify a person based on physical characteristics to signal some other system (such as a locking mechanism) to provide access. Biometric systems are the proverbial doorman checking everyone out before providing access.
Biometric devices may scan for only one physical or behavioral trait or many. For instance, a computer may have a biometric fingerprint scanner attached. The user who wants access to the computer must place his or her finger on the scanner for verification. The device scans the fingerprint and matches against other fingerprints in its database. This process is not much different than when login software checks an entered password against passwords in its database to determine if the person should have access, only a biometrics system uses pattern recognition – it is matching a scan a fingerprint of the person who currently wants access with those in its database. If it finds a match, it will let the person in to the system.
Other kinds of more sophisticated biometric devices may scan for more than one physical. An example might be a fingerprint scanner combined with a retinal scanner. The biometric device would scan the person’s fingerprint and match it in its database then have the person put their eye up to a camera and take a picture of the retina. The retina, like a fingerprint, is unique to the individual. The system would take the pattern of the retina and match it with patterns in its database. If both the fingerprint and the retina patterns match, biometric devices then send a signal to another system to provide the access requested.
Biometric Access Control
Biometric access control is the most common application for biometric systems. A biometric device acts as a gatekeeper that tells other systems that a person is OK and should be allowed access.
Biometric access control has a wide range of uses. It can be used to control access to a whole building, a single room, or to computer systems. Biometric access control may utilize a variety of biometric devices. Some of the more common biometric devices include fingerprint scanners, retinal scanners, and voice recognition.
Biometric access control via fingerprint scanner works by matching a scan of a fingerprint of an access seeker with those in a database. If the software makes a pattern match, the biometric access control system sends a message to another system to allow access. Fingerprint scanners are the most common biometric access control method.
Retinal scanners use a camera to take a picture of the access seeker’s retina. Just like a fingerprint pattern, a retinal pattern is unique. The biometric access control software checks the retinal pattern of the access seeker with those in the database to look for a match. Retinal scanners are harder to fool than fingerprint scanners. It is much easier to obtain a fingerprint of a legitimate user than a retinal scan.
Voice recognition uses the access seeker’s voice pattern as the criteria for entry. The system records the access seeker’s voice and matches the digital pattern with those already stored in the database. This kind of system can be unreliable due to voice changes from an illness, for example, or because of ambient noise (a nearby jackhammer, for instance).
The best biometric access control utilizes multiple biometric factors to control access, although utilizing too many can become a burden on the access seeker and may lead to a lot more false rejections (where a legitimate access seeker is not allowed access).
As passwords become more and more unwieldy, you can expect to see more biometric access control utilized in the workplace and at home.
Biometric access control has a wide range of uses. It can be used to control access to a whole building, a single room, or to computer systems. Biometric access control may utilize a variety of biometric devices. Some of the more common biometric devices include fingerprint scanners, retinal scanners, and voice recognition.
Biometric access control via fingerprint scanner works by matching a scan of a fingerprint of an access seeker with those in a database. If the software makes a pattern match, the biometric access control system sends a message to another system to allow access. Fingerprint scanners are the most common biometric access control method.
Retinal scanners use a camera to take a picture of the access seeker’s retina. Just like a fingerprint pattern, a retinal pattern is unique. The biometric access control software checks the retinal pattern of the access seeker with those in the database to look for a match. Retinal scanners are harder to fool than fingerprint scanners. It is much easier to obtain a fingerprint of a legitimate user than a retinal scan.
Voice recognition uses the access seeker’s voice pattern as the criteria for entry. The system records the access seeker’s voice and matches the digital pattern with those already stored in the database. This kind of system can be unreliable due to voice changes from an illness, for example, or because of ambient noise (a nearby jackhammer, for instance).
The best biometric access control utilizes multiple biometric factors to control access, although utilizing too many can become a burden on the access seeker and may lead to a lot more false rejections (where a legitimate access seeker is not allowed access).
As passwords become more and more unwieldy, you can expect to see more biometric access control utilized in the workplace and at home.
Biometric Systems
Biometric systems are systems that incorporate some kind of biometric scanning. That is to say, they scan and detect unique physical or behavioral characteristics for the purpose of identifying an individual. Biometric systems are almost always combined with some other systems. The biometric system usually acts as the gatekeeper in the overall system. The job of biometric systems is usually access control to protect some physical or virtual space. You can use biometric systems to protect buildings, individual rooms, or access to computer systems.
Biometric systems may scan for one biometric or a combination of biometric indicators. Some examples of biometrics include fingerprints, retinal scans, voice, and gait recognition (identifying someone by the way they walk).
False acceptance rates are a problem in biometric systems – that is to say, if a system allows access where access should not have been granted. This could be someone innocently gaining access to something they should not be allowed access or it could mean someone gaining access with malicious intent to steal, spy, or damage. The best biometric systems will have very low false acceptance rates. Of course, it depends on the sophistication of the hardware and software as well as the number of biometrics that the biometric system checks.
The opposite problem of the false acceptance is the false rejection. This is where a valid user tries to gain access but is rejected. Again, the false rejection rate in biometric systems largely depends on the sophistication of the system. A system that has poor quality scanners or inferior software is more likely to provide a false rejection. Ironically, a false rejection is more likely in a system with more biometric requirements because there are more things that could go wrong. For example, a valid user with a cold wants to gain access to a biometric system with a fingerprint scanner and voice recognition. They scan their fingerprint with no problem, but their voice has changed because of the cold. The voice recognition software cannot match their voice as it is now with their voice recorded in the database and therefore keeps them from access.
Biometric systems may scan for one biometric or a combination of biometric indicators. Some examples of biometrics include fingerprints, retinal scans, voice, and gait recognition (identifying someone by the way they walk).
False acceptance rates are a problem in biometric systems – that is to say, if a system allows access where access should not have been granted. This could be someone innocently gaining access to something they should not be allowed access or it could mean someone gaining access with malicious intent to steal, spy, or damage. The best biometric systems will have very low false acceptance rates. Of course, it depends on the sophistication of the hardware and software as well as the number of biometrics that the biometric system checks.
The opposite problem of the false acceptance is the false rejection. This is where a valid user tries to gain access but is rejected. Again, the false rejection rate in biometric systems largely depends on the sophistication of the system. A system that has poor quality scanners or inferior software is more likely to provide a false rejection. Ironically, a false rejection is more likely in a system with more biometric requirements because there are more things that could go wrong. For example, a valid user with a cold wants to gain access to a biometric system with a fingerprint scanner and voice recognition. They scan their fingerprint with no problem, but their voice has changed because of the cold. The voice recognition software cannot match their voice as it is now with their voice recorded in the database and therefore keeps them from access.
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