Abstract

Biometric Identification System is a means of verification in which a person can be uniquely identified by evaluating one or more distinguished biological traits .It can be grouped based on the main physical characteristic that lends itself to biometric identification . In today's society, advances in technology have made life easier by providing us with higher levels of knowledge through the invention of different devices. However, each technological innovation harbours the potential of hidden threats to its users. One major threat is theft of private personal data and information. As digital data become more prevalent, users try to secure their information with highly encrypted passwords and ID cards. However, the misuse and theft of these security measures are also on the rise. Taking advantage of security flaws in ID cards result in cards being duplicated or counterfeited and being misused. This increasing battle with cyber security has led to the birth of biometric security systems. Outlining the main differences between the methods of biometric technology used to verify user identities will shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of personal data security systems.

A brief background of biometric and biometric security systems will provide a greater understanding of the concept of network security. Biometrics is defined as the unique (personal) physical/logical characteristics or traits of human body . These characteristics and traits are used to identify each human

Fingerprint Identification- Fingerprint ridges are formed in the womb; you have fingerprints by the fourth month of foetal development .Once formed, fingerprint ridges are like a picture on the surface of a balloon .As the person ages ,the fingers do get larger. However the relationship between the ridges stays the same ,just like the picture on the balloon is still recognizable as the balloon is inflated.

Hand geometry- Hand geometry is the measurement and comparison of the different physical characteristics of the hand.

Palm Vein Authentication- This system uses an infrared beam to penetrate the users hand as it waved over the system.

Retina Scan- A retina scan provides an analysis of capillary blood vessels located in the back of the eye.

Iris Scan- An iris scan provides an analysis of the rings, furrows and the freckles in the coloured rings of the pupil of the eye.

Face Recognition- Facial characteristics (the size and shape of facial characteristics ,and their relationship to each other).

Signature - Although the way your name does change over time ,and can be consciously changed to some extent ,it provides a basic means of identification.

Voice Analysis - The analysis of the pitch tone ,cadence and frequency of a person's voice.

Biometrics offer a great security and convenience than traditional methods of personal recognition .In some of the applications ,biometrics can replace or supplement the existing technology .In others its a viable approach .Although many experts say biometrics are intrinsically secure (since no one else can have your eyes or ears ).Alvaro Bedoya ,Professor of Law at Georgetown University .argues otherwise ."A password is inherently private. The whole point of a password is that you don;t tell anybody about it .A credit card is inherently private in the sense that you have only one credit card"

Also in accordance with the security issues FBI has been building a biometric recognition database that it has been filled with 52 million facial images by 2015 ,with thousand more images added every month. The US government is dancing around the question of consent and how to oversee biometrics ,with what seems like almost every agency in Washington addressing part of security issue. The National Institute of Standard and Technology has been evaluating the efficiency of biometric for years focussing on the face identification .fingerprint, voice and iris scan. The Federal Trade Commission is leading the charge on data security deals .It deals with the security of implantable devices ,and the Department of Health and Human services handles personal health information.

Biometric Security thus is on a sharp curve growth ,according to the number of recent research reports. The technology is on the rise in large part due to the fact that many mobile users have become comfortable using tools such as fingerprint identification for access. Hence Security sees both positives and negatives with biometric technology .On the plus side biometrics is an effective way to prove the true identity of individual users.

Biometrics can also provide increased convenience. Unlike the password based methods .biometrics provide "strong authentication ",by which someone cannot later repudiate having taken an action .And depending on how the system is implemented ,there is the potential to use biometrics to authenticate to a portal or access authority, which then affords access to other resources

On the negative side, two of the biggest drawbacks of biometrics over the years -high costs and privacy concerns - are still issues, according to experts .There are typically very large startup costs to getting the infrastructure in place to make use of biometrics. This is also true of second-factor physical tokens as well. One of the biggest challenges is the process by which the biometric is originally captured and bound to an identity .Still biometric identification can provide extremely accurate ,secured access to information, fingerprints ,retinal and iris scans produce absolutely unique data sets when done properly.

Today ,the biometric security is a growing industry but interestingly it is not a new science..Manual fingerprint recognition studies began earlier as early as the end of the 19' th century and the origins of iris recognition dates back to 1936.The last few years have also seen the development of biometric technology in banking, retail

and mobile sectors .The obvious advantage of biometric technology compared to more conventional or traditional authentication methods such as personal ID cards, magnetic cards ,keys or passwords ,is that it is intrinsically linked to an individual person and therefore not easily compromised through theft ,collusion or loss.

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