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Biocryptology: Biometric System ‘To End Identity Fraud’ Launched

Biocryptology Primary fingerprint scanner Biocryptology, a biometric authentication service that claims to make identity theft “virtually impossible”, had its British launch today at London’s Science Museum. The system gives the user a portable fingerprint scanner which generates a random number from biometrics, which can be verified by a central service operated by the firm behind the technology, Primary-Net. When taking a fingerprint, the system uses a patented “life detection system” which reads parameters including blood flow, skin and finger temperature to ensure the target is alive. This should prevent attacks using copies of finger prints, as seen on bypasses of the authentication system on Apple’s latest iPhone . Biocryptology has been piloted, over the last two years, in a range of terminals designed for banks, military systems and immigration. One comercial US pilot was carried out by Nexus USA  in Rapid City, with the Biocryptology system provided by a company called Hanscan, which appears to be a predecessor to Primary-Net. Primary-Net has invested $30 million in the technology, which sees over 8,000 keys generated on a ‘Primary’ device at the sender end. The identity of the user is validated at one of Biocryptology’s three global data centres. The primary device is individual to the user, and carried by them, to be plugged in by USB, wherever identification is required. For the US trial, the firm developed another device, the Nexus SmartPay, which sits at the sales terminal, has its own fingerprint scanner and can identify multiple people. Klaas Zwart, […]

NIST Report Reflects Increasing Need for ABAC Then Over-Engineers Its Deployment

by Andy Han The National Institute of Technology and Standards (NIST) held a conference a few months back on Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC).  The primary objective of the conference was to promote a special publication on ABAC and the event brought together leaders from various government programs, technology vendors, industry analysts and subject matter experts on authorization and access control.  The event and paper are recognition that the adoption of ABAC is accelerating and that we needed to put in writing a shared understanding of when and how to deploy ABAC.  There was agreement on the central of the drivers for the adoption of ABAC: Organizations, including the federal government, need to govern how information is shared across systems, applications, and organizations.  The document’s purpose is thus to (1) establish a standard definition of ABAC and a description of its functional components and (2) provide “planning, design, implementation, and operational considerations for employing ABAC within a large enterprise with the goal of improving information sharing while maintaining control of that information” (vii). ABAC is endorsed by NIST as the best approach for this particular challenge because of the fundamentals of its design. ABAC allows organizations to pass attributes back and forth as information is shared across application, infrastructure, and organizational boundaries. Access control policies use those attributes to evaluate the relationships between subjects and objects and determine whether to allow an action. One of the core technical benefits of ABAC, according to the report, is “ABAC avoids the […]

Frost & Sullivan: Global Commercial Biometrics Market to Grow Considerably as Awareness Increases – IT Industry Today

EIN Presswire —  Fingerprint technology continues to be the most used, even as face and iris recognition gain prominence LONDON , Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Increasing awareness of biometrics across industries will spur the global commercial biometrics market. While historically the adoption of biometrics has been concentrated in the government sector, recent years have witnessed considerable demand for applications such as ATMs, retail points of sale, and finance. Iris and face recognition algorithms have undergone substantial advancements and are gaining prominence, while fingerprint technologies remain the most popular. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan ( http://www.autoid.frost.com ), Analysis of the Global Commercial Biometrics Market , finds that the market earned revenues of $1.48 billion in 2012 and estimates this to reach $6.15 billion in 2019. In addition to fingerprint, facial and iris biometrics, the study covers hand geometry, voice, and signature technologies. “Better end-user recognition of the unique capabilities of biometric technologies, including enhanced security as well as physical and logical access control in applications, has helped vendors win a number of projects and contracts,” said Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Ram Ravi . “Focus on building robust, error-free and efficient solutions will create added revenue-generating opportunities for biometric vendors.” Although improvements in technology augur well for the market, any large-scale biometric project in enterprises takes long to implement and cover every employee. Since many businesses work within a restricted budget for a limited time span, the high cost and extended duration of deploying biometrics restricts installation […]

Sony Spinoff Goes Global With Biometric ID Gadget

Turkey is working on a nationwide project to install biometric authentication systems in hospitals and pharmacies nationwide. A biometric authentication system is a way to confirm identification with fingerprints, a vein on a finger or in another part of a human body. The system has a higher security threshold than password authentication, as it makes it more difficult for people to pretend they are someone else. By introducing the system, the Turkish government aims to confirm a patient’s identification. Recently, five firms have been selected to supply biometric systems for the project. Four of the five are Japanese, and three — Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd. and NEC Corp. — have already established themselves internationally in the field of biometric authentication. The fourth Japanese company is Mofiria Ltd., based in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, which spun off from Sony Corp. in 2010. Sony began developing original technology on vein authentication systems around 2000. Mofiria’s technology used in the vein authentication system is relatively simple and thus the size of the device is small. Someone merely places a finger on the authentication device and it scans the concentration of veins found on the finger’s first and second joints. Then a near-infrared light emitting diode (LED) is projected onto the joints to make a clear image of veins, and a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) censor takes a photo of the vein to confirm authentication. Mofiria President Satoshi Amagai was appointed to head the vein authentication business section at Sony in 2007. Then-President Ryoji […]

EU-Funded Project Takes Biometric Security Systems To Next Level

European Commission MEMO Brussels , 22 October 2013 EU-funded project to take biometric security systems to the next level In recent years we’ve seen face, voice and fingerprint identification software move from Sci-Fi films into real life affordable devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The TABULA RASA consortium, which is supported by EU research and innovation investment, has set out to identify just how well this new software works, in particular against the growing phenomenon of “spoofing ” i.e. using everyday materials such as make-up, photographs and voice recordings to subvert or directly attack biometric systems. Biometric systems have proven to be one of the most efficient security solutions available today. However, some biometric sensor vulnerabilities still exist, including some which have been well publicised in the International media. The TABULA RASA consortium comprises 12 different organisations across seven countries that have worked together over a period of three years to research as many vulnerabilities as possible, to develop countermeasures accordingly and ultimately a new breed of safer biometric systems. In the course of its research, TABULA RASA hosted a “Spoofing Challenge,” which invited researchers from around the world to develop attack plans and to attempt to deceive various biometric systems. Participants showed that there are many different and creative ways to attack the systems. The most innovative attack proposed during this challenge used make-up to spoof a 2D face recognition system and succeeded in being recognised as the victim. Other contestants used well-known attacks such as photographs, masks […]

International City: No Access Card, No Entry

Dubai: A new access system that went live last Sunday in several clusters of Nakheel’s sprawling International City are proving to be a bane rather than a boon, residents told XPRESS. The new security feature, launched by regulatory authority Trakhees earlier this year, is estimated to affect thousands, including residents, restaurant, laundry and grocery delivery boys. Most of them have spoken out in unison against the new restrictions. Syrian Fadi Mohammad, a tenant in the Persia Cluster who owns a fast food joint in the adjoining France Cluster, is ill at ease with the new system on both counts. “I have yet to get an access card. It’s not my fault. My landlord hasn’t paid his service fees. It’s been a struggle to get into my apartment ever since this new system began a few days ago,” he says. “I am also at the receiving end as a service provider. My delivery boys end up spending more time as customers have to come down and open the doors to collect their orders,” he adds. Another Syrian resident, Loy, says his neighbour had to wait for almost 20 minutes for someone to arrive before he could enter the building around midnight after work because there was no watchman on duty at that time. When XPRESS checked, watchmen said they were letting in guests and delivery boys to avoid initial hiccups during their duty hours. Indian Pankaj Kumar who owns a one-bedroom apartment in the England Cluster, says acquiring a card […]

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Canada Works To Keep Educational Facilities Safe

 |  16.10.2013, 19:51  |  117 Aufrufe  |  0   |  MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – Oct. 16, 2013) – Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies (IRST) Canada is pleased to announce its commitment to safe schools with the launch of a suite of information resources to help school boards, educators, college security, physical plant managers and construction professionals involved in educational facility design and maintenance enhance the safety of students, staff and visitors. “With the start of the new school year, it’s important for those who have a role in protecting students to be well prepared,” says Mark Wilson, General Manager, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Canada. “We have developed these resources to help guide those with responsibility for school safety. We want this year – and every year – to be a safe school year.” The resources can be accessed free of charge at www.doorsecurity.ca/safeschools (free login required), and include: Security and Safety Assessments for Colleges and Universities Security and Safety Assessments for K-12 Schools Five case studies featuring K-12 Schools Ten case studies featuring Universities and Colleges Virtual K-12 Campus Tour video Virtual University Campus Tour video The Convergent Campus – Integrating Security Technologies the Right Way video The suite also features on-demand webinars featuring Paul Timm, President of RETA Security, Inc. Timm is a renowned school security expert, boasting credentials that include Physical Security Professional (PSP), as well as experience as a SCAT Member (NOVA) and Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF). The first, School and Campus Safety for Students and Educators, focuses […]

MasterCard Certifies OTI?s ?Wave? NFC Device, Paving Way Toward Greater NFC Adoption Of Wallet-less World

MasterCard Certifies OTIs Wave NFC Device, Paving Way Toward Greater NFC Adoption and a Wallet less World The Wave is the industry’s first audio jack plug-in NFC payment solution and the only to receive certification from a major payment company like MasterCard. Based on OTI’s patented NFC technology, the compact Wave dongle is device agnostic, easily plugging into any smartphone, tablet or PC, allowing users to pay with their device while enjoying real-time benefits from loyalty programs and other incentives as delivered by the corresponding application. It opens up a whole new world of mobile device applications, while alleviating the burden of a wallet full of credit cards. “Receiving certification from MasterCard provides essential validation of our technology platform and opens up significant greenfield opportunities for our Wave solution,” commented Ofer Tziperman, OTI’s CEO. “We can now begin to target large-scale implementations with banking institutions and payment card providers, as well as projects involving public transportation, institutional memberships, and loyalty and rewards programs. “As the first major player in the payment industry to certify OTI’s Wave, MasterCard provides validation of our NFC solution — now the payment industry’s only certified NFC audio-jack add-on solution. We expect other major payment companies to follow suit and provide certification in the near future. “With NFC-enabled applications expected to grow at a 35% CAGR to $34.5 billion by 2016, it’s clear the payment industry is rapidly adopting NFC technology. NFC is becoming increasingly recognized as the fastest, most efficient, most versatile and secured […]

The Visitor Control Center At Navy?s Building 197

September 16th, 2013 | Defense | Posted by jim mcelhatton close Author: jim mcelhatton Name : Email: [email protected] Site: About: See Authors Posts (28)   Access into the Washington Navy Yard’s Building 197, where a shooting rampage in Washington left at least a dozen people dead Monday, includes a security clearance check and vetting by contract-hired “visitor control technicians,” contract records show. Authorities have identified Aaron Alexis, 34, a Navy veteran, as the dead gunman. While it’s unclear how Alexis got into the building Monday morning, the Associated Press reported that he may have used someone’s identification. In April, the Navy hired Kansas-based contractor Transtecs Corp. for “visitor control office support services” at the Washington Navy Yard, according to the government’s online procurement database. While there’s no indication that Transtecs’ work has come under question in the shooting, contract records related to the company’s hiring do shed light on the sort of vetting the Navy requires to get into Building 197, which houses the Navy’s Sea Systems Command. A 30-page task order on the company’s website says Transtecs provides the labor to support the ID badging system and associated equipment at the building. A person who answered the phone for Transtecs Monday said the company declined to comment. Entry into the building includes a check of the Joint Personnel Adjudication System to verify an individual’s clearance level prior to authorizing access, the task order shows. “The contractor shall utilize the government furnished Picture Perfect Access Control System to issue […]