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Biometrics Go Mainstream
3/25/2006
With the blink of an eye, the touch of a finger, or the uttering of a pass-phrase, colleges and schools can now get deadly serious about physical security.
WHAT’S NEW IN AUTHENTICATION? After years of hype, biometrics may be going mainstream! Witness these two recent news release statements, both from Washington Technology, January 2006:
“By Oct. 27, all federal agencies must be ready to issue new identity cards that will be rich in biometrics and other security features.”
“Homeland Security is expected to set specifications and standards for biometric features that will be required as part of a federal mandate to improve driver’s license security.” As you may recall from “Security: It’s Not All About Hackers,” Campus Technology, September 2005, authentication is based on something you know (e.g., a password), something you have (e.g., a driver’s license), or something you are (e.g., a fingerprint). The last of these refers to the use of biometrics for authentication. Common examples are based on eye (iris and retinal) scans, fingerprints, keystroke dynamics, voice analysis, facial scans, hand geometry, and DNA analysis.
Retinal and Iris Scans
Eye scans are the gold standard of commonly available biometric identification techniques. Retinal scans are performed by shining a low-intensity beam of infrared light into the eyeball and recording the pattern of blood vessels in the back of the eye. The process is somewhat invasive (the eyeball needs to be held very close to the device, held still, and focused for 10 to 15 seconds) and is typically only used in high-security facilities.
Iris scans are executed by observing the pattern of ridges on the colored part of the eye; they can be carried out at distances of up to several feet, and through eyeglasses, as well. As the cost of iris scanners falls, the devices are starting to be used in medium-security facilities such as airport security checkpoints, as well as education and corporate environments. Panasonic, for one, markets several iris scanners with prices ranging from several hundred dollars all the way up to the $10,000 mark.
Still, there have been reports of “reading” problems in a small percentage of cases because of eye malformations, watery eyes, and even long eyelashes. High-resolution photographs of an iris have also fooled some of the scanners. These limitations not withstanding, iris recognition systems from Eyemetric Identity Systems have been adopted by one New Jersey school district to control adult access into elementary school buildings.
Though glitches with such technologies still persist,
iris recognition systems have been adopted by one
New Jersey school district to control adult access
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