LINUX TIPS AND TRICKS --- August 03, 2001

Published by ITworld.com -- changing the way you view IT
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Biometric Systems
By Danny Kalev

The traditional method of password-based user authentication is
susceptible to fraud and abuse. Biometry is a rapidly growing 
field that develops authentication algorithms and tools that 
rely on biological characteristics to authenticate users' 
identity. Fingerprint matching is the most common biometric 
authentication technique.

Fingerprints recognition systems are now reliable and 
affordable, starting at about a hundred dollars for a basic 
configuration. Voice recognition, vein layout, facial 
structure, and retina and iris patterns are also used in 
biometric systems. Each of these biometric authentication 
methods has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, 
retinal recognition systems are virtually infallible. They 
offer an exceedingly high degree of accuracy; however, they 
cannot authenticate blind and partially blind users. Likewise, 
voice recognition systems will fail to identify a user 
suffering from cold or laryngitis.

Privacy Issues
Biometric access control systems offer a high degree of 
assurance. However, they raise privacy issues. For instance, in 
order to use a retinal scanner, a biometric system must store 
users' retina patterns in a database. A retinal pattern can 
reveal many hereditary diseases, signs of drug abuse, and even 
AIDS. Who can guarantee that such a database never reaches the 
hands of health and law authorities? 

Resources and Products
Several Linux-compatible biometric access control projects and 
production systems are currently available. 

    * The Ankari company develops a mouse that reads fingertips.
      You can find more information about their technology at 
      http://www.ankari.com/prod-overview.asp.

    * IrisScan is a network biometric authentication system for
      LANs that identify users by their retinal pattern. You
      can read more on IrisScan and iris scanning technology at
      http://www.iriscan.com/main.html.

    * VeriVoice is a voice recognition system that operates on
      Linux 2.0 and above. To learn more about voice recognition
      technology and VeriVoice products, visit
      http://www.verivoice.com.

Finally, the BioAPI Consortium was established to help 
developers integrate biometric identification into existing 
standards and APIs. Read more about the BioAPI Consortium here:
http://www.bioapi.org.  


Disclaimer
----------
A reader contacted me regarding one of the journaling systems 
discussed weeks ago, claiming that it had corrupted his file 
system. I would therefore like to emphasize that references to 
products given in this newsletter shouldn't be taken as a 
recommendation or endorsement of any kind. Furthermore, 
considering the vast number of Linux distributions, hardware 
architectures, and kernel versions, it's nearly impossible to 
predict the behavior of new software on a particular 
configuration. Therefore, you should always backup your system 
before installing new software.


About the author(s)
-------------------
Danny Kalev is a system analyst and software engineer with more 
than 10 years of experience, specializing in C++ and 
object-oriented analysis and design on various platforms 
including VMS, DOS, Windows, Unix, and Linux. His technical 
interests involve code optimization, networking, and 
distributed computing. He is also a member of the ANSI C++ 
standardization committee and the author of ANSI/ISO C++ 
Professional Programmer's Handbook (Que, 1999). Danny can be 
reached at linuxnl@excite.com.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The Biometric Consortium
http://www.biometrics.org/

Are you ready for Biometrics?
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/biometrics/

Biometrics comes to life
http://www.banking.com/aba/cover_0197.htm

Fight the Fingerprint
http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml
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