True User Identification: A Software Device

True User Identification: A Software Device

Group 3

DJ McBride, Marva Holiday, Josh Hamm, Amy Ruble

Key Words: Biometric Identification, Vector Segment Technology, Algorithm

True User Identification is a new software technology that was developed by Bio-Key International. True User Identification uses Biometric identification technology that allows users to prove their identity by submitting a biometric sample, such as a fingerprint, iris scan or voice pattern. There are two main categories of Biometrics, identification and verification. Biometric identification compares a biometric “signature” to all the records stored in a database to determine if there is a match. Biometric verification compares newly-scanned biometric characteristics to a measurement previously collected from that same person to verify that individual’s identity. True User Identification accurately identifies single individuals by their fingerprint out of a database of millions of fingerprints. True User Identification uses powerful indexing algorithms to achieve its unprecedented speed in locating fingerprints. True User Identification uses Oracle 9i and 10g servers which enables them to provide a scaleable, easily managed infrastructure for performing large scale identification. This software is beneficial to businesses because it helps with credit card fraud, helps prevent identity theft, increases public and personal safety, improves user convenience, and lowers their operating cost.

Bio –Key International developed the True User Identification technology to meet the demand of organizations since security requirements remain a high priority. The True User Identification uses biometrics, the science and technology of measuring and statistically analyzing biological data. Biometrics are the physical characteristics of humans which can simplify your life by eliminating the need to remember passwords, personal identification numbers, carrying user identification, tokens and badges.

Biometric identification requires comparing each existing record in the database against the new biometric characteristic; it can be slow and is usually not suitable for real-time applications such as access control or time and attendance. Law enforcement has uses the biometric identification frequently. Over 2,500 police, fire and emergency services departments in North America use Bio-key solutions. For example, the comparison of fingerprints from a crime scene to a database of prints collected from criminals is commonly used. Biometric verification is more widely used because it is a one-to-one comparison and is generally much faster than biometric identification systems. For example, when an employee is hired, that employee’s fingerprint would be enrolled into the company’s biometric time and attendance system. When that employee attempts to clock in the next day, her newly-scanned fingerprint will be compared to the fingerprint scan collected when she was enrolled into the system. If there is a match, the employee’s punch will be recorded. No system is 100% fail-safe. A false acceptance can occur when the system identifies a person when someone else’s finger or hand is offered for validation. A false reject can happen when the system refuses to accept the employee’s own fingerprint or hand is valid. Biometric systems all strive to have rates of false acceptances and false rejects as low as possible. Bio-key’s false rejection rate at better than 1 in 200 million.

Bio-key’s biometric solutions are more secure than traditional forms of identity alternatives. Unlike these less secure, easily counterfeited alternatives, it is virtually impossible for anyone to steal your identity when accessing a biometrically secure system without your biometric finger data. Your Bio-key biometric data is encrypted and secured in multiple layers to further ensure the safety of your identity. Bio-key’s patented Vector Segment Technology (VST) software generates fingerprint templates. The templates are highly compressed, digitally encoded mathematical representations of the fingerprint which are protected in multiple ways. The first level of protection provided by Vector Segment Technology is the creation of the unique models that distinguish between the enrollment and the authentication templates. The second level of protection provided is a result of the original fingerprint image being destroyed during the enrollment process, after it is converted into the unique mathematical template. These templates cannot be “reversed engineered” to produce the original fingerprint image. The third level of protection Bio-key provides is distinguishing between enrollment and authentication templates. The enrollment template created when a user first registers a finger is stored and transmitted in an encrypted file. When the user later touches the fingerprint reader to authenticate, a new “authentication” template is generated and compared to the “enrollment” template. If there is a match, the authentication is successful. These templates are not interchangeable.

Bio-key projects, with the True User Identification, businesses will be able to reduce credit card fraud by nearly 70%. Some businesses that have partnered with Bio-key are: Hewlett Packard, AT&T Wireless, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, the Omega Group, and Northrop Grumman. All are eager to decrease identity theft by using the fingerprint reader. Public and personal safety will be increased because fingerprints cannot be stolen, lost, shared, borrowed, forgotten, or transferred. Regularly changing passwords and making them more complex by adding numbers and letters had no impact on security according to Nucleus Research. Three-quarters of people believe it will aid in combating terrorism. True User Identification has the ability to do real time which is convenient for user, especially law enforcement. Operating cost can be lowered by eliminating cost associated with badges for employees, PINs and tokens, and maintenance fees for passwords. When people forget or lose passwords, they have to be reset. Resending passwords is time and labor intensive and costly.

Bio-key, a customer centric organization with high customer satisfaction launched its True User Identification. It will use biometrics, such as a fingerprint, to prove people’s identity. The Vector Segment Technology will scan the finger, make several passes on the image to optimize it, and convert it to catalogue the print. With the Vector Segment technology threes levels of protection makes it virtually impossible for someone to steal your identity. The two types of biometrics that can be used are identification which compares fingerprint to those in databases, and verification which uses the original print to verify identity. This easy to implement, easy to use authentication alternative integrates into virtually any environment to deliver a secure, convenient user to replace passwords, badges, Pins and tokens. BIO-key is also working on new and profitable business opportunities to include finger biometrics in devices such as; PDA's, cell phones, point-of -sale terminals, physical access devices and other types of portable equipment. With this technology businesses can gain competitive advantages by cutting costs, reducing fraud, preventing identity theft, giving customers a sense of personal safety, improving user convenience, and lowering operating cost. True User Identification is going to secure our future one fingerprint at a time.

Works Cited

Bio-key International, Inc. (March 2005). True User Identification. Retrieved October 18, 2006 from http://www.biokey.com/fingerprintbiometrics/docs/True%20User%20Bio%207%2022%2005.pdf#search=’Biometric%20User%20Identification’

Bio-key International, Inc. (October 2006). Identity Solutions in Action. Retrieved October 18, 2006 from http://www.bio-key.com/fingerprintbiometrics/

True User Identification
Group Number 3

1.	Who developed the True User Identification system?

Bio-Key

Symantec

Microsoft

Dell

2.	What are Bio-metrics?

voice

B.	fingerprints

eyes

D.	All of the above

1. 3.3. 2.3.

Which of these will be replaced by the True User Identification system?

Keycards

Passwords

C.	Smartcards

D.	All the above

4.	How many levels of security does the Vector Segment Technology have?

5.	What kind of servers does True User Identification use?

A.	Oracle 9i and 10g

B.	Raven 4b and 22r

none

both

6.	Who use Bio-metric identification?

Priest

B.	Social workers

C.	Law enforcement

D.	None of the above

7.	By using the True User Identification system business will be able to reduce credit card fraud by

45%

55%

95%

70%