With phishing and identity theft attacks on the rise, the need for personal security has never been greater. But as criminals begin to employ more sophisticated methods for obtaining personal data, users need to look beyond the usual means of protecting their information and take extraordinary steps to ensure it cannot be bypassed. An increasingly popular way of doing this is to use biometric data management as a means of protecting personal information.
What is Biometrics?
Biometrics is a field of computing security that either uses a physical aspect of a person, or has essential information encrypted onto a device that may only be read by specific equipment. Physical biometrics generally employs fingerprint or iris scanners to check the unique characteristics of a person’s physical make-up and compare it to a standard copy held on file. Fingerprints and the blood vessel structure of an eye are unique, and tend not to vary greatly within an adult. The custom software developement required to accurately read these combinations is now easy and relatively cheap to produce, and are cost-effective ways to protect your data.
The field of biometrics isn’t restricted to physical aspects of your body, and there is an increasing use of personal data that can be stored and read by official agencies if required. If you have replaced or received your first passport over the last few years, you may have noticed a small computer chip solidly fixed to one of the pages. While the small dark chip might look innocuous enough, it represents one of the latest major moves against passport fraud and personal identity theft.
The chip and its attendant aerial – the thin band of copper around the page – is used to transmit certain data about the holder, making it incredibly difficult for the document to be cloned, and easy to find if stolen and used. The system uses PKI (public key infrastructure) technology, which monitors and validates digital certificates using an array of hardware and software. Prominently used in airport security, biometric security forms the backbone of the modern day offensive against international crime and fraud.
Almost all governments now issue new passports with effective biometric data attached, which can be used to authenticate the holder’s identity. Despite initial fears that the data could be recorded and copied in the same way as almost any other digital data, system developers have demonstrated the level of security that the method utilizes, and has shown that biometrics can take system security to new and unbreakable levels.
Pivot International is a product design, development, and manufacturing firm with strengths in software development, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and industrial design. If you are interested in engineering a new product, updating an existing product, or in obtaining biometric security for your business, contact us at 1-877-206-5001 or request your free consultation today.
