The events of 9/11 shattered world peace and sent out a chilling message. Not even the strongest country in the world could secure itself from the clutches of terrorism. This ushered in an era of growth for the electronic security industry, with countries spending billions of dollars to acquire and deploy sophisticated state of the art technology to protect their borders, perimeters, buildings and last but not the least, citizens. Existing technologies were either upgraded or deemed obsolete, and new technologies were developed. Biometrics is an identity management technology which has been in existence for years, but gained significant momentum after this landmark event.
Importance of Identity Management:
Identity management is considered to be the first line of defense against any crime. The commonly accepted theory is that if only authorized personnel are granted access to sensitive physical and logical (computer network) areas, the probability of crime is significantly reduced. The key challenge for identity management applications is to ensure that these sensitive areas are not breached by outsiders.
Identity management applications operate on three major concepts. ‘Who you are’, ‘What you know’ and “What you have’. The first is covered exclusively by biometrics which identifies access seekers on the basis of their physical attributes. The second identifies access seekers on the basis of a password or code which only authorized personnel would know. The third identifies the seeker on the basis of smart/proximity cards which, when swiped would provide access. The three concepts can be used individually as well as in combination with each other as per requirement and budget availability.
The concept of Biometrics:
Biometric technology recognizes humans on the basis of physiological or behavioral patterns unique to each individual. Biometrics can be used to verify (match one to one to verify if a person really is who he claims to be) or identify (match one to many to identify an unknown person).
A biometric system stores biometric data of an individual the first time he uses it. This data can be used subsequently to identify or verify that particular individual over a period of time. A number of biometric technologies are being employed across all verticals. Fingerprint technology is the earliest technology and accounts for about 75% of all biometric systems deployed.
Here is a complete list:
• Fingerprint technology
• Face recognition
• Iris/Retinal scan
• Voice recognition
• Signature verification
• Hand geometry
• Keystroke pattern
• Vein recognition
• DNA testing
Key challenges for biometrics:
The greatest challenge for biometrics is increasing awareness among the people who use it. Many people are averse to biometrics because of:
• Health issues: They do not want to come in contact with an interface which is common for everyone.
• Privacy issues: People do not want their biometric information to be pooled into a public system
• Security issues: Although this scenario is restricted to gory Hollywood movies, one cannot rule out the possibility of criminals decapitating body parts to gain access.
• Irreversibility: Unlike passwords and combination keys, once hacked into, biometric systems cannot issue duplicates for the user. The particular biometric interface is lost forever.
In spite of some shortcomings, there is no denying that biometrics is one of the most secure technologies today. All over the world, countries are adopting this technology which makes duplication virtually impossible. Compared to other identity management technologies, pricing is still a concern, but technological advances are gradually driving costs down. Fingerprint technology is now being effectively complemented by other technologies leading to growth in overall market size. Controversial or not, Biometrics is here to stay.
Author: Santosh Antony.
