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.
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.