What is Biometric Identification?
The use of physical characteristics and traits for the identification of individuals. The earliest methods of biometric identification included fingerprint and handwriting. More recent methods include iris/eye scan, face scan, voice print, and hand print.
Types of Biometric Identification
- Fingerprint
- Iris
- Retina
- Finger Geometry
- Signature/Handwriting
- Voice
- Facial Proportions
- Hand Geometry
Why Use Biometric Identification?
The most popular methods of keeping information and resources secure is to use password and UserID/PIN protection. These schemes require the user to authenticate themselves by entering a "secret" password that they had previously created or were assigned. These systems are prone to hacking from either a brute force attempt to crack the password or from passwords which were not unique or even which were posted near the computer itself. A Biometric Identification system is one in which the user's "body" becomes the password/PIN. Biometric characteristics about the individual are what make that person unique and therefore can be used to authenticate an user's access to various systems.
Voice Recognition Identification Technology (VRIT)
Biometric Voice Identification focuses on analyzing who is speaking rather than on what is being spoken. Before access can be granted, an individual must train the system to recognize their voice characteristics (i.e., their voice print).
Can a Tape Recording Be Used to Hack Into a System
If the Voice Identification system is going to be used in a highly sensitive environment the system could use randomly generated passcodes that must be spoken before athentication is granted. For example, the computer could ask the user to recite several different two or three word phrases. It would be improbable that a tape recording could be made that would be able to be used to hack into a system where the access codes keep changing.