Nanavati S., Thieme M., Nanavati R. Biometrics Identity Verification in a Networked World

John Wiley, 2002. — 324 p.Authentication is a fundamental component of human interaction with computers. Traditional means of authentication, primarily passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs), have until recently dominated computing, and are likely to remain essential for years to come. However, stronger authentication technologies, capable of providing higher degrees of certainty that a user is who he or she claims to be, are becoming commonplace. Biometrics are one such strong authentication technology.
Biometric technologies as we know them today have been made possible by explosive advances in computing power and have been made necessary by the near universal connectedness of computers around the world. The increased perception of data and information as near equivalents of currency, in conjunction with the opportunities for access provided by the Internet, is a paradigm shift with significant repercussions for authentication. If data is currency, then server-based or local hard drives are our new vaults, and informationrich companies will be held responsible for their security. Because of this, passwords and PINs are nearing the end of their life cycle for many applications.
Since early 1999, four factors (reduced cost, reduced size, increased accuracy, and increased ease of use) have combined to make biometrics an increasingly feasible solution for securing access to computers and networks. But biometrics are much more than a replacement for passwords. Millions of people around the world use biometric technology in applications as varied as time and attendance, voter registration, international travel, and benefits dispersal. Depending on the application, biometrics can be used for security, for convenience, for fraud reduction, even as an empowering technology.
This book teaches you the fundamentals of leading biometric technologies: how they work, their strengths and weaknesses, where they can be effectively deployed. It helps you understand how biometrics are associated with technologies such as public key infrastructure (PKI) and smart cards. It defines how biometric deployments can be privacy enhancing or privacy invasive. It dispels various myths surrounding biometric technology. Finally, it provides guidelines for successful deployment of biometrics in today’s enterprise environment.Biometric Fundamentals.
Why Biometrics?
Key Biometric Terms and Processes.
Accuracy in Biometric Systems.Leading Biometric Technologies: What You Need to Know.
Finger-Scan.
Facial-Scan.
Iris-Scan.
Voice-Scan.
Other Physiological Biometrics.
Other Leading Behavioral Biometrics.Biometric Applications and Markets.
Categorizing Biometric Applications.
Citizen-Facing Applications.
Employee-Facing Applications.
Customer-Facing Applications.
Biometric Vertical Markets.Privacy and Standards in Biometric System Design.
Assessing the Privacy Risks of Biometrics.
Designing Privacy-Sympathetic Biometric Systems.
Biometric Standards.