As our mobile devices are becoming our personal authenticators to payment and other sensitive applications there is a growing demand for stronger authentication. We are increasingly using biometrics to verify our identity as they are more convenient and secure than passwords and PIN’s. All biometric solutions are not necessarily secure, the accuracy and reliability of today’s biometric solutions can vary depending on the biometric subcomponents that are used. Therefore, it is necessary to assess them to ensure they meet globally recognized performance standards.
Recently, FIDO Alliance launched a certification program that validate the performance of biometric systems. Rather than proving performance for each customer, the FIDO Alliance program allows vendors to test and certify only once to validate their system’s performance, which saves both time and cost. For online service providers, OEMs and enterprises, it provides a standardized way to trust biometric systems.
Stephanie Schuckers, Professor of Clarkson University and Director of CITeR, US Center for Identification Technology Research and advisor to Precise Biometrics has been involved in development of the certification program. Stephanie is heading the FIDO biometric work group and is one of the contributors to FIDO’s new biometric requirements.
“The FIDO-accredited laboratory tests the biometric solution’s matching based on international standards that evaluate the probability two different people match when they should not (FAR) and the probability that the correct person is rejected when they should not be (FRR). If the solution meets the set standards it is considered certified”.
“But, the security of biometric systems goes beyond measuring FAR and FRR and includes Presentation Attack Detection (PAD), which evaluates the sensor’s resistance to spoof attacks. As a unique aspect of the program and based on international standards, the biometric solution is tested using fake biometric objects created by the laboratory. Meeting standards in all three (FAR, FRR and PAD) adds an extra level of security to the biometric solution”.
Read more about the certification program here. A webinar about the certification program was held September 12, you can find the recorded version here.
Are you interested in learning more about liveness detection (PAD) read here or download our white paper here.