Security issues in biometric authentication

Abstract

User authentication is fundamental to the protection of information systems. It is the first and most critical link in the security chain that restricts access to system and data resources to legitimate users only. The advantages of using biometrics to verify a person's identity over using passwords or tokens have been broadly presented. However, recent research has revealed that biometric technologies can be defeated with low-tech and cheap materials. This presents a new challenge at a time when people are encouraged to use biometrics as a means to enhance network security. Since biometrics are not secrets, there exists a risk of them being captured, copied, and forged. In this paper, the biometric authentication's vulnerability to various attacks is analyzed, and efforts to defeat the spoofing attacks are presented. In particular, multimodal biometric fusion approaches are presented to counteract security threats.