Biometrics
are automated methods of recognizing a person based on a
physiological or behavioral characteristic. Among
the features measured are; face, fingerprints, hand
geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice.
Biometric technologies are becoming the foundation of an
extensive array of highly secure identification and
personal verification solutions. As the level of security
breaches and transaction fraud increases, the need for
highly secure identification and personal verification
technologies is becoming apparent.
Biometric-based solutions are able to provide for
confidential financial transactions and personal data
privacy. The need for biometrics can be found in federal,
state and local governments, in the military, and in
commercial applications. Enterprise-wide network security
infrastructures, government IDs, secure electronic
banking, investing and other financial transactions,
retail sales, law enforcement, and health and social
services are already benefiting from these technologies.
Biometric-based
authentication applications include workstation, network,
and domain access, single sign-on, application logon, data
protection, remote access to resources, transaction
security and Web security. Trust in these electronic
transactions is essential to the healthy growth of the
global economy. Utilized alone or integrated with other
technologies such as smart cards, encryption keys and
digital signatures, biometrics are set to pervade nearly
all aspects of the economy and our daily lives. Utilizing
biometrics for personal authentication is becoming
convenient and considerably more accurate than current
methods (such as the utilization of passwords or PINs).
This is because biometrics links the event to a particular
individual (a password or token may be used by someone
other than the authorized user), is convenient (nothing to
carry or remember), accurate (it provides for positive
authentication), can provide an audit trail and is
becoming socially acceptable and cost effective. More
information about biometrics, standards activities,
government and industry organizations and research
initiatives on biometrics can be found through out this
website.
Two excellent
"Introduction to Biometrics" venues are provided
by:
For the
background of the Biometric Consortium please visit:
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