03-12-2012, 11:35 AM
BIOMETRICS
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ABSTRACT
Biometrics is the development of statistical and mathematical methods applicable to data analysis problems in the biological sciences. It is a new method of verifying authenticity. Biometrics uses biological traits or behavioral characteristics to identify an individual. A Biometrics system is actually a pattern recognition system that utilizes various patterns like iris patterns, retina patterns and biological traits like fingerprints, facial geometry, voice recognition and hand recognition etc. What makes Biometrics really attractive is the fact that the various security codes like the passwords and the PIN can be interchanged between people but the physiological traits can’t be.
The current applications of Biometric authentication are Entry control, ATMs and Government programs. The most obvious use of biometrics for network security is for secure workstation logons for a workstation connected to a network. The main use of Biometric network security will be to replace the current password system. The most popular biometric authentication scheme employed for the last few years has been Iris Recognition. Many companies are adding biometric authentication features to their products for e.g. Key ware Technologies LBV (Layered biometrics verification) Internet toolkit provides high-level security to e-commerce applications. This toolkit finds use in the area of Internet Banking.
INTRODUCTION
Biometrics is derived from the conjunction of the Greek words bios and metrics that mean life and to measure respectively. Biometrics has been put to use in computer and network security settings. It is defined as” the development of statistical and mathematical methods applicable to data analysis problems in the biological sciences”. Biometrics is an accurate method of authentication that uses the physiological and biological traits of a person to verify and establish their identity. It has its roots in the ancient methods of authentication and finds use in many areas like Internet Banking, e-commerce and network security settings etc.
PAST:
There were various methods of authentication used earlier .The Chinese were the first to use Biometrics in the form of a fingerprinting method. This was later followed by a method called Bertillonage that sought to identify people on the basis of certain characteristics like the length of their fingers and the size of their skull. Later on Scotland Yard detectives then began using the method of Fingerprinting analysis, which was initially put into practice by the Chinese.
Pros and Cons of these methods:
These methods used in the past had various flaws in them like:
There could be two people with the same measurements and having the same kind of measurements would be convicted and this was gruesome. So, the development of sophisticated methods was necessary for identifying the real culprits.
So emerged the technology of Biometrics!!!!
Emergence of Biometrics:
Biometrics has found its application in many areas like Network authentication, Internet Banking, Entry Control and Government programs.
Biometrics works by taking into consideration certain parameters that are unique to each person like their facial geometry, iris recognition, hand geometry, voice recognition and fingerprinting analysis etc. The main advantage of using these physiological traits is that though other kinds of authentication like passwords and tokes can be presented by anybody, physiological traits can’t be replicated and thus form the main reason why these Biometrics systems are used.
Biometrics: How?
Biometrics is basically a pattern recognition system that utilizes the uniqueness of certain physiological patterns like iris patterns, voice recognition patterns, facial geometry, hand geometry and fingerprint patterns etc.
Each method has its own pros and cons and is used depending on the level of security desired and the various areas where they have to be implemented.
The Biometrics system works on the following principle:
First, it checks whether we are who we claim we are i.e. It sets off to verify our identity
Second, it tries to find out who we are, i.e. It sets off to establish an identity
Thus, Biometrics goes far from the traditional systems and thus helps in tightening Internet security to create safer workplaces and thus increasing the confidence of many like the bankers who are involved in e-commerce.
CONCLUSION
Just like every other technology, Biometrics will take some time to be incorporated into networks all over but first, the flaws that it has got ought to be corrected so as to make this technology useful and available to all. The massive disadvantages like pricing, lower acceptance rate etc should be corrected and this would lead to more use of this system to impart high-level security to the network. If all these things are worked upon, then Biometrics could be exploited completely.