Security Basics mailing list archives
RE: Biometrics
From: Jean François Quéralt <JFQueralt () EscuelaEuropea org>
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:10:32 +0200
Hi to everyone. I´m not sure if it would help you but some time ago I saw a news about a french company that surrounded the biometric problematic creating a system that checked the blood transit of persons, creating a unique pattern. It´s was quite an interesting approach on biometric id. It worked just like fingerprints, leaving your finger over a sensor. Just my two cents... Jean François Quéralt ICT Administrator Schola Europaea - Alicante -----Mensaje original----- De: Eduardo Kienetz [mailto:eduardok () gmail com] Enviado el: miércoles, 13 de julio de 2005 1:13 Para: security-basics () securityfocus com Asunto: Re: Biometrics On 7/12/05, Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers <bugtraq () planetcobalt net> wrote:
On 2005-07-08 Trevor Jennings wrote:Hi, I have a bank customer who wants to roll out a biometric (fingerprint) solution in an AD 2003 enviorenment for his branch sites. His primary goal is to reduce password administration and secondary goal is to provide more secure authentication. Does anyone know of any banks that have implemented such a solution? Has anyone had experience with 'digital persona's product? Any thoughts on bio-metric vendors, reviews or even ideas about token based auth (remember password emimination Is the key).Not an answer to your question, but some points you (and your customer) might want to consider, since biometric authentication has various security-related issues: 1. With biometrics you always have to find a balance between false accepts (wrong person get's access) and false rejects (valid user doesn't get access). 2. Fingerprints can be easily forged [1], and people leave their marks around everywhere they go. 3. How will you handle a biometric token (i.e. fingerprint), that gets compromised? People usually have only ten fingers.
Just a clarification here... This is not a problem anymore... there are new fingerprint (even whole hand) scanners that not only scan your finger/hand, but also measure temperature/pulse (to make sure the hand is alive :). Besides that if you use password-based auth, the "thief" would just need to threat you that... for example he'll cut your finger if you don't tell him the password... ;) etc. One could even combine the scanning of BOTH hands to authorize. I have experience with using eyeD hamster, which, at that time I was working with it, was quite good. In fact, I've done the programming/integration with an application login. EyeD hamster used (again, at that time ~2 years ago) to store a WideString as your finger representation. I know there are systems where the image of your finger is stored. That finger record representation would be also interesting to discuss. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,88200,00.asp http://www.secugen.com
[1] http://www.ccc.de/biometrie/fingerabdruck_kopieren.xml?language=en Regards Ansgar Wiechers -- "All vulnerabilities deserve a public fear period prior to patches becoming available." --Jason Coombs on Bugtraq
Regards, -- Eduardo Bacchi Kienetz LPI Certified - Level 1 & 2 http://www.noticiaslinux.com.br/eduardo/
Current thread:
- Biometrics Trevor Jennings (Jul 11)
- Re: Biometrics Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers (Jul 12)
- Re: Biometrics Eduardo Kienetz (Jul 13)
- RE: Biometrics Jean François Quéralt (Jul 18)
- Re: Biometrics Chris Douglas (Jul 18)
- Re: Biometrics Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers (Jul 18)
- Re: Biometrics Eduardo Kienetz (Jul 20)
- Re: Biometrics Eduardo Kienetz (Jul 13)
- Re: Biometrics Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers (Jul 12)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: Biometrics Vinsik, Steven C (Jul 12)
- RE: Biometrics Vinsik, Steven C (Jul 13)
- Re: Biometrics Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers (Jul 18)
- RE: Biometrics Brunner, Mark (Jul 18)
- RE: Biometrics Vinsik, Steven C (Jul 20)