Biometric and Computer/Network Security News and Information

Biometrics Making Further Progress In The United Kingdom

Update On The e-Passport

It seems that the United Kingdom is making great strides and progress to the e-Passport in that part of the world. A major Security Contract has been signed between IBM and the Identity and Passport Services, based out of the United Kingdom. This is a 7 year Contract, and is utilizing a multifaceted approach:

1)  To provide the ability and means to upgrade to a Biometric e-Passport for the Government of the UK;

2)  To greatly enhance Border Control and Security around the United Kingdom;

3)  To replace and automated Fingerprint Capture System utilized by the Government of the United Kingdom.

Here are some of the further details of this Security Contract: "IBM and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), an executive agency of the UK Home Office, have signed a seven-year agreement for IBM to provide a core element of the Government's plans to upgrade to biometric passports and enhance the security of the UK border. IBM will also provide a replacement for the UK Border Agency's (UKBA) Immigration and Asylum Fingerprint System (IAFS) which holds biometrics collected from visa applicants." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7127/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Most of this Security Contract will be built upon using the hardware and software services provided by IBM. The Biometric component of this Security Contract will be provided by Sagem Securite.

So far, in all of the Postings I have written about the developments surrounding the e-Passport and other related issues, it is the United Kingdom so far which has taken the big leap forward in adopting and implementing this new Security Technology. To me, this comes as no surprise, as the Government of the United Kingdom is very proactive about Security in general.

Perhaps, we here in the United States, could learn a lot from the Government and the Citizens of the United Kingdom about what successful Security Approaches and Methodologies really mean.

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7127/

Major Security Contract Aawrded For Cyberdefense

The Federal Government And Security Contracts

The Federal Government just gave out another significant Contract to a major Biometrics/Security Vendor known as "Precise Biometrics". The value of this Contract stands as $6.1+ Million. The goal of this Contract is for "cyberdefense", and to help protect the IT Infrastructure of the Federal Government.

Here are some specific details about the Biometric Technology being deployed under this Contract: "System breaches from attackers are prevented by requiring localized and user-dependent security, which is introduced by biometric Match-on-Card authentication. Precise Match-on-Card(TM) provides strong authentication and proof of identity, which secures networks and computers by linking a user to an access protocol. This is achieved as the technology enables storing and matching of fingerprint information on a smart card in order to establish the presence of an individual. As the fingerprint information does not leave the card, there is no need for a database and the cardholder's integrity is preserved. The Match-on-Card technology is integrated with the Government Employee ID badges." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7120/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

So far this year, it seems that the Federal Government is the biggest Customer for Biometrics, which I have written about before many times. I foresee the Federal Government to continue to be the biggest Customer for all type of Biometrics/Security Vendors, until the Global Recession wanes down, and the Private Sector has funding to come to purchase Biometric Products and Services.

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7120/

A Standard Driver's License In The United States???

New Security Contracts Awarded

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as "L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc.", just recently announced that it has just received new Security Contracts and Security Contract Extensions from four different States. These States include Indiana, Delaware, Tennessee, and Louisiana. The total value of these Security Contracts is at $27.6 Million. Also, there is another Security Contract which is pending, with a State that has yet to be mentioned. The value of this Security Contract is at $16 Million.

Here are some of the details of the Security Contracts with each of these mentioned States:

With Delaware:

"A seven-year contract with the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) includes a new tamper evident card with various security features from L-1 embedded in the card to make counterfeiting more difficult. The new system will integrate L-1’s document authentication solution into the State’s workflow process to streamline transactions and provide an increased level of confidence that applicant information is not fraudulent. Additionally, facial recognition technology from L-1 will enable a comparison of a customer's photo against the DMV’s database of photos to detect fraud." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7116/).

With Louisiana:

"L-1 secured a contract extension with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) to continue secure driver’s license production and vehicle registrations. L-1 has provided solutions to the Louisiana OMV for more than three decades. The Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles also extended its driver’s license solution contract with L-1." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7116/).

With Indiana:

"Indiana recently received federal funding for secure issuance of driver’s licenses. The State will continue to work with L-1 to apply these funds toward fully implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and the federal regulations regarding identification documents." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7116/).

With The Not Yet Named State:

"A four-year contract signed with a State to be named at a later date includes a new card design that incorporates additional security features and equipment upgrades for new signature pads, image cameras for photo capture, and printers from L-1." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7116/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

I have written in a number of Postings in the past as to my thoughts of using the Driver’s License as a primary Security Document in which to Verify and/or Identify individuals. Despite the inherent weaknesses in using the Driver’s License, it still continues to be a predominant form of a Security Document today.

So my thought is, why not create a uniform Driver’s License across all of the 50 States? This would be very much like the International Driver’s License, where one form of a recognized License can be used in just about Country.

By having a Standard Driver’s License, implementing Security Features would be much easier, and there will be a uniform set of Best Standards and Best Practices which can be easily and readily created as well as enforced. As a result, there will be equal amounts of Security in all of the Driver’s Licenses across all of the 50 States, and no one single Driver’s License will mean that one has more Security Vulnerabilities than the other. There will be an equal playing field, so when it comes time for Security Enhancements and Security Upgrades to all of the Driver’s Licenses, they can be done at the same time, efficiently and effectively.

Anybody have any thoughts on this idea?????

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7116/

The Canadian's View On Biometrics

A Biometrics Survey

A recent Survey found that the majority of Canadians, in general, like the idea of using Biometrics, especially Fingerprint Recognition, to Verify and/or Identify people coming entering into Canada, as well as to keep a "check" on their Government.

Some of the major findings of the Survey:

1)  84% of the respondents liked the idea of using Biometrics to Verify and/or Identify somebody as their entering into Canada, especially if they are a non-Canadian;

2)  A majority (exact percentage not known) support the idea of using Biometrics in both Canadian Passports as well as those non-Canadians applying for a Visa to enter into Canada;

3)  84% of the people polled in this Survey " . . . agreed with using biometrics to prevent abuse of government programs . . ." (SOURCE: http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7096/)

4)  76% of the respondents liked were receptive to the idea of using Biometrics as a means of Verification and/or Identification in order to gain access to Government Programs;

5)  74% of the respondents supported the idea of using Biometrics as a means of Physical Access Entry into Government buildings;

6)  64% of the people polled in the Survey " . . . 64% believed the government would only use the information for the purpose for which it was collected." (SOURCE: http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7096/).

7)  There is strong support (exact percentage not known) for the international sharing of Biometric Information and Data with Countries in Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Based upon these results, it is interesting to note the strong support for the use of Biometrics as it applies to non-Canadians versus Canadians, for example, " . . . the poll respondents were more likely to agree with biometric information being collected from non-Canadians than from Canadian citizens." (SOURCE: http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7096/).

It is also interesting to note that the applications of Biometrics, as it relates to the Government, received some of lowest support in terms of percentages, though there was a clear cut majority. Probably the fear of "Big Brother" and Government misuse of Biometric Information and Data led to these much lower Survey results.

Finally, by 2013, it will be required by anybody entering into Canada, or anybody applying for any kind of Student, Work, or Visitor’s Visa, to have their Fingerprints collected and recorded.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7096/

A Security Trip To Europe

Spanish Security

Just recently, the Secretary of The Department of Homeland Security took a trip to Europe to solidify the Lines of Security between the United States and Europe. Some of the Countries included Spain, Portugal, Kuwait (OK, a Middle Eastern Country), and Ireland.

The topics of Security discussions included talks on Security Information and Data sharing, Airport and Airline Security, Computer and Network Security, as well as the signing of a Security Agreement with Portugal called the "Preventing and Combating Crime Agreement", or "PCC" for short. This Security Agreement is designed to " . . . allow for the exchange of biometric and biographic data to bolster counterterrorism and law enforcement in both nations while ensuring privacy protections." (SOURCE: http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7103/).

Probably the biggest part of this European trip came when the Secretary of the DHS visited Spain and created what is known as the "Immigration Advisory Program", or "IAP" for short. The primary objectives of this Security Agreement are to " . . . allow for the identification of high-risk travelers at foreign airports before they board aircraft bound for the United States—at Madrid Barajas International Airport . . . [and] . . . combat the use of fraudulent travel documents, prevent terrorists and other criminals from entering the United States, disrupt alien smuggling and promote cooperation between DHS and the Ministry of the Interior." (SOURCE: http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7103/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Apparently, so far the IAP is a pretty big success. It has been a pilot project so far since 2/11/2008, and has " . . . prevented the travel of 402 improperly documented travelers, intercepted 23 persons with fraudulent documents, and stopped 10 terrorism-related suspects." (SOURCE: http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7103/).

Also, this the 3^rd major agreement signed between the United States and Spain to enhance and bolster the Security Ties between the US and Spain within a one week time span. The first Agreement allowed for the furthering of the sharing of Science and Technology between the two Countries, and the second Agreement signed is called the "Agreement to Prevent and Combat Serious Crime".

In my view, while it is good to see that major Security Agreements are signed, I just hope that this is not just for show that something is being done. In other words, addressing and curing the symptoms of the disease, and not addressing the actual cause of the disease.

As these Security Agreements are signed and implemented, the true test of the results will come afterwards, much later in time. At that point, what has been achieved needs to be compared with what the goals are. If what has been achieved is equal to or greater than the goals set forth, then the results can be deemed to be positive. If not, a reassessment of these Security Agreements then needs to take place.

However, I also think that a third party, such as a Consortium from the private industry should be the ones to conduct such a Security Assessment. This will help to insure unbiased and unwavered reporting of the facts.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/articles/i/7103/

No Blog Postings This Week

To all of my blog Subscribers,

There will be no Postings this week.  I will be competing in the US National Taekwondo Tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Other than Biometrics, my other profession is Taekwondo and the martial arts.

Look for Postings to start up again on July 6th.

The World Of Digital Documents

E-Documents And Document Security

This Posting is very different from the usual about Biometrics. With the explosion of E-Commerce back in the late 90’s into 2000, and in the face of Global Recession today, we as a society, want everything to be fast, easy, and efficient, especially when it comes to Business Transactions.

With this digital age, we often get tired of signing our names, and having to manually file paperwork. I mean if we can send E-Mail, why can’t we have Digital Documents, right??? Thus, the birth of a great new Market Application is occurring: The Paperless Society, or what is known as "Digital Documents" or "E-Documents".

As a result, a Biometrics/Security Vendor known as "Todos Data Systems" is capitalizing on this Market Trend, and has come out with a new Security Product called "XML Sign What You See", or "XML-SWYS" for short. This new type of Security Technology allows the End User to conduct any transaction paperlessly. For example, " . . . it replicates the experience of signing a paper document. Users can see key details on the Todos C417's large LCD screen before they sign. For example, they might see the interest rate and principal before signing a loan application. This reassures the user . . . [and] . . . the device can be used be used to log into bank accounts, pay for online shopping and generate one-time passwords . . . [and] . . . The system protects the user against online fraud because the device is separate from the PC and the signature requires a smart card and a pin number for extra security . . ." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5991). Other advanced Security Features include Dynamic Signatures and Secure Domain Separation.

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

At the present time, this Security Product is seeing a great attention, as it is being implemented by a major Financial Institution in Scandinavia. This same type of Security Technology is also made available to 1,000,000+ e-Banking Customers.

The entire concept of Digital Documents, Digital Signatures, and the Paperless World has great Market Potential, not just from the standpoint from the End User in terms of convenience, but also from a standpoint of Security, as Digital Documents and Digital Signatures have to adhere to the highest level of Security.

Watch for a whole new theme on this Blog Site with respect to Digital Documents and Digital Signatures. In fact, the topic of the first Posting this series will deal with the Security Risks of using the old fashioned methods of signing and filing away Hardcopy Paperwork.

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5991

Time And Attendance For The Very Small Business

Time And Attendance Revisited

I have written about Time and Attendance Applications before, with the emphasis primarily on Biometrics, and the concept of "Checking In" and "Checking Out", and the Security Risks associated with it.

Well, a major development has just recently happened in this area. A major Time and Attendance Vendor known as "Kronos, Inc." (they are so dominant, in fact, they have over thousands of what is known as "Workforce Management Solutions" deployed in worldwide in 60+ Countries) has selected a Biometric Solution form a Biometrics/Security Vendor known as "M2SYS Technology", to provide the Biometric Component in the Workforce Management Solution. The Biometric Component is known as "Bio-SnapON".

Here are some of the details: "M2SYS Technology, an award-winning biometric technology research and development firm, announced today that Kronos Incorporated, the global leader in workforce management solutions, has chosen M2SYS to provide its customers with a desktop biometrics solution that seamlessly interfaces with Kronos time and attendance applications. M2SYS' Bio-SnapON(TM) biometric software supports fingerprint and finger vein identification, enabling Kronos customers to record employee time data with a single finger scan . . . Bio-SnapON(TM) runs on a PC and authenticates employees with a USB biometric reader . . . The Bio-SnapON(TM) biometric software easily scales to support multi-site, networked implementations, and supports special requirements such as labor distribution and employee self-service." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5989).

Final Thought’s On Today’s Posting

Using Biometrics in Time and Attendance Applications does have certain, distinct advantages:

1)  Biometrics helps to greatly reduce the problem of "Buddy Punching";

2)  Check In and Check Out is calculated instantaneously, thus significantly reducing paperwork for Human Resources;

3)  The Costs of Labor is much better controlled;

4)  Worker Productivity is greatly enhanced, thus increasing the Bottom Line for businesses which utilize Time and Attendance Applications.

In fact, this Market Application discussed in this Posting is very unique, as this Biometric Solution can be implemented on a desktop computer, geared specifically for those types and kinds of businesses which have a very small number of employees. All of the Market Applications I have seen for Time and Attendance (which incoporate Biomtric Technology) have been for the large types of Industries, such as Warehouses and Factories, whom employ many, many more employees, thus the Biometric Devices implemented have to be very rugged in design.

Perhaps this could be the start of a new Market Growth area: Biometrics for Time and Attendance Applications for the very small sized businesses.

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5989

Voice Biometrics In Turkey

Voice Biometrics Revisited

Well, it seems like it has been quit some since I have written a Posting bout Voice Biometrics, so here we go . . . .

A major Mobile Telecommunications Company in Turkey known as "Vodafone Turkey" has just recently implemented Voice Biometrics into its Business Infrastructure. The Voice Biometric Solution is called "VocalPassowrd", developed by a Biometrics/Security Vendor known as "Persay, Ltd.".

Here are some of the details: "Vodafone Turkey, the leading mobile communications provider delivering the most comprehensive and innovative mobile services to residential and business customers in Turkey, recently rolled out its Voice Identification Service powered by PerSay VocalPassword™ — making a spoken pass phrase a universal identifier for customer support. PerSay VocalPassword is a biometric speaker verification system that verifies a speaker during an interaction with an IVR or a voice application. The system was successfully integrated with Vodafone’s Voice Portal Platform, enabling secure self service applications such as GSM PUK (Personal Unlocking Key) reset." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5982).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Although Voice Biometrics is deployed globally, this is a significant turn of events in the Biometrics World, Vodafone is the first, good sized Telecommunications Company in Turkey to implement Voice Biometrics.

When compared to the other Biometric Technologies available, such as Hand Geometry and Fingerprint Recognition, Voice Biometrics does possess some key advantages, such as:

1)  Voice Recognition can fit into almost any existing Security Infrastructure quite easily;

2)  Voice Recognition can greatly reduce the amount of time Call Centers spend upon Verifying customers as they call in. For example, "Contact centers around the world spend as much as 12% of the call duration, on average, with a representative, confirming customer identity." (SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5982).

3)  With Voice Biometrics, the need to remember multiple Usernames and Passwords is virtually eliminated;

4)  Voice Recognition is very easy to deploy and implement;

5)  Voice Recognition can fit into just about any type or kind of Security Application, unlike some of the other Biometric Technologies

6)  With Voice Recognition, the Verification and Enrollment Templates are not created from biological samples, but rather, statistical profiles are created. Thus, there are hardly any Privacy Rights associated with Voice Recognition.

Voice Recognition also has a tremendous future within the Financial Industry. For example, rather than by placing trades manually over the phone, the potential exists that trades could take place automatically and easily via Voice Recognition.

To view a published article I have written on Voice Biometrics, click here:
http://www.biometricnews.net/articles/Biometrics_Article_Voice_Recognition.pdf

Source for this Posting: http://www.findbiometrics.com/press-release/5982

Biometrics And Software Development

A Biometrics Company

An expanding Biometrics/Security Vendor has just announced that it has officially launched its software development subsidiary. The Vendor is called "Idscan Biometrics", and the name of he software development subsidiary is called "Idscan Bespoke".

Having been in business for 4+ years, the area of specializations have been in Biometrics, Smart Cards, and Wireless Technologies, focusing in on the Bluetooth. The four main areas of focus have been:

"Passport and ID Card Reader Integration & Development
- Fingerprint & Facial Biometric Technologies
- Age Verification
- Bluetooth Technology"

SOURCE: (http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/biometrics_news3.asp?articleid=263282&arttitle=Idscan%20Biometrics%20opens%20Idscan%20Bespoke%20software%20development%20division)

The clients for software development for this Vendor have included the finance and tobacco industries, and clients in Europe and the Pacific Rim, including Australia.

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

This is a significant development. Many people think of Biometrics as merely the actual hardware device. But, software plays also a very important role in Biometrics, especially when it comes to a client-server topology. This is when the Biometrics Devices are all linked to a central server. All of the Biometric Information and Data are stored here, as well as the Processes and Transactions which occur in regards to the Verification and Identification of an individual.

Even the smallest of Biometric Devices such as the Flash Drives and Portable Biometric Hard Drives some with software, which is to be installed locally on the individual computer or laptop.

Software development for Biometrics has to meet the exact needs of each customer, and be flexible as well to meet the ever changing needs and Security Environment. Software development should be based upon an Open Source Model, where both the backend end and the front end, which is the database and the Graphical User Interface (also known as "GUI"), respectively.

The database contains all of the Biometric Information and Data, and the GUI allows the Biometric Administrator to process that Biometric Information and Data. In my opinion, software development for Biometrics should stay away from a Closed Source Model, the programming code becomes too bloated and proprietary, and as a result, can be very difficult to adapt to the changing times.

Watch for more Postings in the future with regards to software development work in Biometrics, so far all of the Postings have been on the hardware front.

Source for this Posting:  http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/biometrics_news3.asp?articleid=263282&arttitle=Idscan%20Biometrics%20opens%20Idscan%20Bespoke%20software%20development%20division