BioSafe- A Fingerprint based Authentication scheme

It is a fingerprint based authentication tool which employs syndrome based LDPC codes in the Slepian-wolf coding framework. The tool employs a cryptographic hashing mechanism for providing an additional layer of security.

Challenges

The traditional authentication and access control systems employing passwords are being replaced by biometric systems employing fingerprints, irises and faces. The biometrics are inherent traits of a person and have a number of desirable properties like, reliability, convenience, universality, etc. which are suitable for being used as an authentication token. The widespread deployment of biometric authentication systems can be attributed to these properties. These systems offer a number of advantages over the password systems. They cannot be forged or given away. They cannot be “forgotten” as in case of regular password systems. Though the biometrics offer huge advantages over the password based systems extreme care and caution must be taken to securely store the biometrics. Such vulnerabilities of the biometric systems call for a secure system to store the biometric template of the intended user.

Overview

The tool uses the syndromes obtained from the LDPC codes for the fingerprint biometric authentication in the slepian wolf coding framework.  The various key steps are captured below each of them involves signal processing and mathematical operations.

The key steps involved can be classified as:

• Finger Print reading
• Minutiae Point extraction and Pre Processing
• Binary feature generation
• Generate secure hash
• Syndrome Calculation
• Iterative Decoding
• Authentication Process
• Syndrome check
• Hash check

BioSafe is a matlab based tool.

Benefits

• No storage of Biometrics in the devices
• Reduced memory space
• More error tolerant
• No loss of personal biometrics even if the biometric devices are stolen
• More secure due to additional layer of cryptographic hashing
• Can be incorporated with other biometrics like iris and face recognition