TO IDENTIFY A PERSON.
Identification answers the question:
“Who is this person?”
Identification (1:N) consists of matching biometric data among a large number of persons registered in a database.

Each biometric has its advantages and drawbacks, depending on its degree of variability over time, the quality of capture and how often is used. For example, a person’s voice may be subject to occasional or even permanent changes.

Idemia MORPHO BIOMETRICS is specialized in the three major biometric modalities, namely fingerprint, face and iris recognition. These three types of biometrics are especially reliable and effective, while being easy to deploy and use.

FINGERPRINT RECOGNITION

Each person has his or her own unique fingerprints – even identical twins have different fingerprints. A fingerprint comprises about a hundred major features, called minutiae. In most cases, a match between around a dozen minutiae is needed to prove that two fingerprints are identical, and establish a person’s identity to a very high degree of certainty.

FACIAL RECOGNITION

Facial recognition software is capable of identifying an individual according to their facial morphology. Its effectiveness depends on several key factors, including the quality of the captured image, the power of the identification algorithms (which compare, for example, spacing between the eyes), as well as the reliability of the databases used (the larger the database, the greater the probability of identifying a person), etc.

IRIS RECOGNITION

The iris is the colored part of the eye, behind the cornea. It is formed before birth and its appearance changes very little during a person’s life. A person’s right iris is as different from the left iris as it is from another person’s iris. And the irises of identical twins are as different from each other as are the irises of two persons chosen at random. This distinction makes iris recognition a very reliable identification technique, even if the person concerned is wearing glasses or contact lenses.

The fast-growing number of connected devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) goes hand in hand with the increasingly critical nature of the applications and content we can find on them. Times have changed, and we live in a world where mobility reigns. However, the typical uses and security behaviors that worked at home on a PC are more difficult to apply on the move, where passwords have reached their limits. But, more than ever, we still have to protect our data, transactions and our identity.

Idemia MORPHO BIOMETRICS is one answer: a simple wave of the hand, pressing a finger on a scanner, or looking at a camera for a second is enough to authenticate our identity.

Biometrics facilities the life of users who are increasingly mobile and connected, offering a simple alternative authentication solution to the traditional password and PIN.

AUTHENTICATION METHODS RANKED BY ORDER OF SECURITY

BIOMETRICS: SIMPLER THAN A PASSWORD FOR AUTHENTICATION

Biometrics means you no longer have to use unwieldy passwords. To be effective, a password has to meet four demanding criteria: it has to be changed frequently, be complex, you must not use the same one for different accounts and, above all, it must not be written down! For people on the move, biometric authentication is easier than entering a complex password several times a day.

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BIOMETRICS AS A WEAPON AGAINST IDENTITY THEFT

Unlike passwords, biometrics is the only method that establishes a link between our physical and digital identities. This helps us prevent identity theft, enabling us to prove that a person accessing an account or device is really who he or she claims to be. Stealing biometric data without the person’s knowledge, and then reproducing it in a useable form is not as easy as stealing a password and using it remotely.

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BIOMETRICS MAKES LARGE-SCALE THEFT VERY DIFFICULT

While it’s relatively easy to access thousands of accounts with stolen passwords in just a few seconds, it’s much harder to hack biometric databases. In addition to gaining access to biometric data, thieves also have to be able to produce fakes for each stolen element, and use them with the appropriate detector – thus eliminating the possibility of any large-scale attack. While the number of PIN codes is limited to the digits between 0000 and 9999, biometric data is unlimited.