Liveness assurance in Biometric Systems

125 Pages·2007·5.35 MB·English

Liveness assurance in Biometric Systems
by
JOHAN FREDERIK DU PREEZ

DISSERTATION
submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE

in

COMPUTER SCIENCE

in the

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

at the

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG

SUPERVISOR: PROF S.H. VON SOLMS

November 2006
Abstract

Short summarized The need for a more secure cyber future is apparent in the information age
introduction to this
that we live in. Information is fast becoming, and already is, one of the biggest
dissertation
assets in all domains of life. Access to information and specifically personal
information must be regulated and secured in a trusted way.

The use of passwords and tokens (example: bank card) that’s currently the
most popular and well known mechanism for electronic identification can only
identify the password or token but NOT the physical user using the password
or token for identification.

Biometrics addresses the above issue by being part of the physical user. For
example: your fingerprint, retina or iris. Current biometric technologies
provide an enabling medium to help with more accurate identification and
verification. Thereby protecting and securing electronic information…BUT:

One of the biggest problem areas surrounding biometrics is the fact that most
biometric tokens (fingerprints, hand geometry and the human eye) can be
used in some cases to identify the owner of the biometric token even after
death as if the owner was still alive. The problem becomes apparent in the
case of a person that passed away and the possibility of using the biometric
tokens of the deceased to obtain access to his/her bank account. Therefore
the importance of effective liveness testing is highlighted. Current liveness
testing technologies can not be trusted in a way that would be necessary to
provide the trust needed in the example of access to a personal bank account
at an ATM (automatic teller machine).

This dissertation reports on the initial stages of a research project that
addresses the above problem by proposing the use of biometric tokens that
doesn’t exist if the owner is not alive, thus the dissertation coins the new term
– Inherent Liveness Biometrics. The way the human heart beats as a
biometric token to identify or verify a person, might solve the issue of liveness
testing, because “The way the human heart beats” might prove to be a
natural biometric token that is only valid for a living person, thus an inherent
liveness biometric.

Keywords Biometrics, Liveness-testing, Identification, Authentication, Inherent liveness
Table of Content

Preface

Abstract

Chapter 1 Research overview and objectives

1.1 Problem statement 14

1.2 Objective 14

1.3 Research path 15

1.4 Structure of the document 16

1.5 Symbols 18

Part I

Biometrics in general and specific

Introduction

Chapter 2 Identification and verification, how it works

2.1 Chapter Introduction 22

2.2 Natural identification and verification 22

2.3 Identification and verification in the electronic sense 23

2.3.1 Identification and verification 23

2.4 What you KNOW 27

2.5 What you HAVE 27

2.6 What you ARE 28

2.7 Authentication by means of combination 28
Chapter 2 Identification and verification, how it works (cont.)

2.8 Chapter Summary 29

Chapter 3 Biometrics overview and system applications

3.1 Chapter Introduction 31

3.2 Application of Biometric technology, solutions to enhance 31
security

3.2.1 Applications 31

3.2.1.1 Physical access 32

3.2.1.2 Logical access 32

3.3 Biometric authentication applied in a wide range of sectors 33

3.3.1 E-commerce – Online business 33

3.3.2 Information technology in the corporate domain 33

3.3.3 Aviation 34

3.3.4 Banking and Financial 35

3.3.5 Healthcare 35

3.3.6 Government 37

3.4 Advantages of biometrics 38

3.5 Chapter summary 39
Chapter 4 Types of Biometrics

4.1 Chapter Introduction 41

4.2 Fingerprints 42

4.2.1 History 42

4.2.2 Minutiae-based techniques 43

4.2.3 Correlation-based techniques 43

4.2.4 Different fingerprint sensing technologies 43

4.2.4.1 Optical sensing 44

4.2.4.2 Capacitive silicon 44

4.2.4.3 Electric field sensors 44

4.2.4.4 Thermoelectric sweep sensor 45

4.2.4.5 Ultrasonic sensing 45

4.2.4.6 Pressure array 45

4.2.5 Applications 46

4.3 Hand and finger geometry 46

4.3.1 History 46

4.3.2 Technology behind sensing hand and finger 47
geometry

4.3.3 Applications 47
Chapter 4 Types of Biometrics (cont.)

4.4 Iris 48

4.4.1 History 48

4.4.2 Technology behind sensing detail in the iris 48

4.4.3 Applications 49

4.5 Retina 49

4.5.1 History 50

4.5.2 Technology behind scanning the retina 50

4.5.3 Applications 50

4.6 Facial recognition 51

4.6.1 History 51

4.6.2 Technology for sensing facial features 52

4.6.3 Applications 52

4.7 Speaker verification 53

4.7.1 Technology 53

4.7.2 Text dependent 53

4.7.3 Text independent 54

4.7.4 Applications 54
Chapter 4 Types of Biometrics (cont.)

4.8 Esoteric biometrics 54

4.8.1 DNA recognition 55

4.8.2 GAIT recognition 55

4.8.3 Skin luminescence 56

4.8.4 Lip movement biometrics 56

4.8.5 Ear based biometrics 56

4.8.6 Odor recognition 57

4.9 Multimodal biometrics 57

4.10 Chapter summary 59
Part II

Liveness testing on biometrics

Introduction

Chapter 5 Liveness testing, why, how and what to test?

5.1 Chapter introduction 64

5.2 Why should liveness testing exist? 64

5.3 What should a liveness test, test? 65

5.4 Current liveness tests (HOW to test) 66

5.4.1 Using extra hardware 68

5.4.1.1 Temperature 69

5.4.1.2 Optical properties 69

5.4.1.3 Pulse 70

5.4.1.4 Pulse oximetry 70

5.4.1.5 Blood pressure 71

5.4.1.6 Electric resistance 71

5.4.1.7 Relative dielectric permittivity 72
Chapter 5 Liveness testing, why, how and what to test? (cont.)

5.4.2 Using existing information 73

5.4.2.1 Skin deformation of the fingertip’s skin in 73
fingerprint biometrics

5.4.2.2 Pores 74

5.4.2.3 Unique characteristic of each individual 74

5.4.2.4 Perspiration 74

5.5 Chapter Summary 75

Chapter 6 Investigating liveness testing weaknesses

6.1 Chapter Introduction 77

6.2 Spoofing Biometric devices 77

6.3 Ways to improve liveness testing 79

6.3.1 Is the biometric trait being presented at the sensor 80
still alive and part of its owner?

6.4 Chapter summary 81
Part III

Inherent liveness biometric traits

Introduction

Chapter 7 Inherent liveness – an alternative

7.1 Chapter Introduction 85

7.2 Types of inherent liveness biometric traits 85

7.2.1 GAIT 85

7.2.2 Facial thermography 86

7.2.3 Brain patterns 86

7.2.4 Speaker verification 87

7.2.5 The way the heart beats 87

7.3 Difficulties in applying these Biometrics 88

7.4 Chapter Summary 88

Chapter 8 A possible solution: “The way the heart beats” as an inherent

liveness biometric

8.1 Chapter Introduction 90