Government: Fingerprint recognition is an ideal biometric technology for both large and small scale government projects. Fingerprint biometrics offers a flexible, scalable and accurate digital identification solution for various government applications such as border control, national identification cards, voter registration and ePassports. Nov 27, 2018 As real-world trials of biometric payment cards continue to proliferate in advance of large-scale launches, Fingerprint Cards is turning to the PR front to get consumers – and clients in the financial services sector – ready for the first wave. The company has issued a new eBook explaining the technology, and has published a blog.
Researchers have used a neural network to generate artificial fingerprints that work as a “master key” for biometric identification systems and prove fake fingerprints can be created.
According to a paper presented at a security conference in Los Angeles, the artificially generated fingerprints, dubbed “DeepMasterPrints” by the researchers from New York University, were able to imitate more than one in five fingerprints in a biometric system that should only have an error rate of one in a thousand.
The researchers, led by NYU’s Philip Bontrager, say that “the underlying method is likely to have broad applications in fingerprint security as well as fingerprint synthesis.” As with much security research, demonstrating flaws in existing authentication systems is considered to be an important part of developing more secure replacements in the future.
In order to work, the DeepMasterPrints take advantage of two properties of fingerprint-based authentication systems. The first is that, for ergonomic reasons, most fingerprint readers do not read the entire finger at once, instead imaging whichever part of the finger touches the scanner.
Crucially, such systems do not blend all the partial images in order to compare the full finger against a full record; instead, they simply compare the partial scan against the partial records. That means that an attacker has to match just one of tens or hundreds of saved partial fingerprint in order to be granted access.
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The second is that some features of fingerprints are more common than others. That means that a fake print that contains a lot of very common features is more likely to match with other fingerprints than pure chance would suggest.
Based on those insights, the researchers used a common machine learning technique, called a generative adversarial network, to artificially create new fingerprints that matched as many partial fingerprints as possible.
The neural network not only allowed them to create multiple fingerprint images, it also created fakes which look convincingly like a real fingerprint to a human eye – an improvement on a previous technique, which created jagged, right-angled fingerprints that would fool a scanner but not a visual inspection.
They compare the method to a “dictionary attack” against passwords, where a hacker runs a pre-generated list of common passwords against a security system.
Such attacks may not be able to break into any specific account, but when used against accounts at scale, they generate enough successes to be worth the effort.
The following guest post was written by Human Recognition Systems who provides biometric access control solutions to customers in Aviation, Government, Military, and Construction sectors.
Amidst all the hype and media coverage that surrounded the recent launch of Apple’s new iPhones, it was easy to overlook some of the new features which the phone has adopted.
Which features? You may ask.
Admittedly, you could be forgiven for thinking that not much has changed with the 5S and 5C models. But one addition that has attracted most attention is the new way in which users gain access to their phone, allowing them to make calls, access contacts and use the apps.
Rather than inputting a four-digit security code, simply placing a finger over the start button is all that the registered user now needs to do.
Biometric technology, or fingerprint recognition in the case of the iPhone, is not new, but its use is becoming more and more widespread – more so than many people think.
It’s not just fingerprints. Face, voice and iris recognition are all common place in many walks of life – and due to the added security such systems offer, it’s likely we will see it being used more and more over the coming years.
We are likely to see #biometrics used more often for identification in the coming years. Click To TweetHere are just some examples of biometric technology and how it can be used.
1. Airport security
Iris recognition has been used in a number of large airports for several years. You must sign up to a scheme and your eyes and iris are scanned. Your details are then stored on an international database and instead of waiting in long passport queues, passengers simply walk into a booth and look into a camera. The software then scans the iris and matches the details with the information stored on the database.
2. Building Access
Fingerprint access for buildings is not new. Many high security facilities have used biometric technology for years when it comes to ensuring only authorised personal gain access to the most well protected establishments.
3. Cars
It’s estimated that over 2 million cars in the UK use biometric technology in one form or another. This can be anything from voice recognition when using Bluetooth or entertainment systems to unlocking the vehicle itself.
4. Blood Banks
When it comes to giving blood; identity is pretty important. In the past donors were issued with blue cards containing all the information required. More and more these days that crucial data is being stored digitally – with donors using finger print or iris recognition to access their vital details. More about healthcare solutions: http://www.m2sys.com/healthcare/
5. Schools
Last year the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) estimated that about 30% of secondaries in England were using biometric data. As well as ensuring that only pupils and authorised adults gain entry to school buildings, biometric data is also used for activities such as; recording attendance, checking out library books or even paying for meals. Due to the sensitivity surrounding children and privacy; schools require full, written permission from the parents of pupils in order to use the system.
This post was written by content writer Matthew Crist, on behalf of biometric solutions providers Human Recognition Systems. Who provide “biometric access control solutions” to customers in Aviation, Government, Military and Construction sectors.