Airport biometrics will pose a challenge to CIA in Europe

eSSL Security

The introduction of biometrics to enhance border security in the European Union will pose an operational challenge to CIA operatives, according to a secret intelligence report released by WikiLeaks.

According to a now released secret document entitled “CIA Advice for US Government Operatives Infiltrating Schengen”, current travel throughout Europe is relatively easy, because persons without official government positions are not required to carry visas.

However, next year, a new entry-exit system in the European Union will be put in place that requires fingerprint identification from all travelers within the Schengen zone who do not hold visas.

According to a report published in NextGov, the European Commission is considering requiring travelers who do not require visas to provide biometric data at their first place of entry into the Schengen zone, which would increase the “identity threat level” for all U.S. travelers, including those in the employ of clandestine services.

The secret intelligence report notes that it is still unclear whether U.S. official and diplomatic passport holders travelling to France, Greece or Spain will be required to provide biometrics when obtaining their visa. The report goes on to state that the identity threat for non-U.S. documented travelers required to obtain a Schengen visa will increase as the Europe-wide visa information system (VIS) is rolled out worldwide.

VIS facilitates the exchange of visa data between member states and is designed to prevent a practice  known as “visa shopping,” where an applicant who is refused a visa by one Schengen member state applies for a visa in another member state.

VIS conducts a one-to-many (1:N) fingerprint search of a centralized database to determine whether a person’s fingerprints are already contained in the database, possibly under another identity. VIS also verifies that the traveler is the same person to whom the visa was issued by conducting a one-to-one (1:1) comparison of a traveler’s fingerprint collected at a port-of-entry with the fingerprint stored in the database at the time of the visa application.

Due to the introduction of VIS by the European Union, Russia recently announced a similar fingerprint directive for foreigners.

Source: biometricupdate

Biometric Tech is the Latest in Canine Fashion

eSSL Security

Not ones to appear unfashionable, dogs are now getting into wearable tech, according to a new BBC article. An American team of researchers have developed a prototype for a canine harness fitted with motion detection technology and biometric cardiac and body temperature sensors.

The harness offers a number of opportunities for dog handlers, according to the researchers. Its motion detection can help to decode a dog’s body language, while its biometric sensors can collect important health data while also indicating the dog’s emotional state. And it has built-in motors that can be remotely accessed to provide behavioral nudges to the dog.

The harness currently seems to be primarily intended for dogs working in a professional capacity, such as guide dogs and rescue dogs, but the development team is working on a smaller version that could be used for veterinary purposes. It’s a fun but logical extension of the wearable tech revolution currently unfolding as biometric technology gets more advanced, smaller, and cheaper; if we humans get to wear shirts that can monitor their health data, why shouldn’t our most loyal companions?

Source: findbiometrics

U.S. Office of Biometric Identity Management seeks industry input on next-gen biometric technologies

eSSL Security

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) is seeking information from the biometrics industry on how to improve its biometric identity systems.

OBIM operates the Automated Biometric Identification System (or “IDENT”) which allows it to store and analyze biometric data, and link it with biographic information across government agencies to match or verify the established identities. As of September 2014, IDENT contained more than 170 million biometric identities, and handles approximately 290,000 transactions per day.

The official government document states: “The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to collect information from industry on current and near future technologies (including mature modifiable [commercial off-the-shelf] products) supporting operational and analysis outcomes as delineated in Section II Objectives.”

The Section II Objectives include information around identity deconfliction, advanced biometric matching, advanced biometric searching, high-performance transaction processing, business intelligence, storage, information linking, and international biometrics.

Information on next-generation architecture and capabilities for replacing the current biometric system will help OBIM create biometric identification and analysis to support counter-terrorism, immigration and law enforcement, and credentialing efforts.

The U.S. government has recently been considering allocating millions of federal funds towards the improvement of IDENT.

The government RFI does not provide payment for information and materials received, nor does it provide companies an advantage in a future Request for Proposal.

Biometric Update published a report late last year which provides an in-depth look at the spending and programs the U.S. Government is engaged in surrounding homeland security initiatives.

Source: Biometricupdate

Researchers Predict India’s Biometrics Market Will Exceed 2.7 Billion USD Within 5 Years

eSSL Security

A new report from TechSci Research is predicting massive growth in India’s biometrics market over the next several years. The market research firm suggests that the market’s overall value will surpass $2.7 billion (US) by 2019.

The researchers attribute this to a few major factors. One is large-scale government initiatives; the government is seeking to digitize driver’s licenses and has initiated the National ID project Aadhaar to be administered by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which will seek secure means by which to store and protect citizens’ identity data. They also want to install face recognition technology at major railway and metro stations.

The desire for this kind of security partly stems from an increasingly unstable situation at India’s borders, which will likely be exacerbated in the coming years by migration due to climate change. Within India, crime is also apparently a motivating factor behind the desire for biometric security, as luxury residences continue to pop up alongside neighbourhoods mired in abject poverty. On a less dire note, the TechSci report also points to India’s transportation, banking, and hospitality sectors as areas with an increasing appetite for biometric technology in the form of access control, time & attendance tracking, and other such applications.

Source: findbiometrics

VAMPIRE device brings real-time fingerprint analysis to incident scenes

eSSL Security

Booz Allen has announced a new device designed to help law enforcement and the military conduct immediate fingerprint analysis at an incident scene – saving precious time in the initial stages of an investigation.

The spookily named VAMPIRE device is handheld and conducts real-time forensic analysis in the field. According to Booz it can perform fast, accurate, on-site latent and live fingerprint identification and matching analysis in just seconds.

The company told Planet Biometrics: “Vampire is not just a biometric device answering the question of ‘Who are you?’ but is a forensic device that can answer ‘Who was here?’ in under a minute.”

Not much larger than the average smartphone and weighing in at 1.8 lbs, the ruggedized tool integrates fingerprint analysis into a commercial mobile-device, enabling operators with minimal specialized training to perform advanced fingerprint processing. Designed for ease of use, the VAMPIRE device is a high-end tool that requires little forensic knowledge to perform advanced forensic processing, allowing agents arriving on scene to quickly collect any fingerprint evidence that may prove critical to the investigation.

The VAMPIRE device digitally captures latent fingerprint images directly from various surfaces using no lifting tape, which minimizes potential damage to fingerprints and results in better quality forensic evidence, Booz said. VAMPIRE also conducts both live and latent identification to an onboard watch list and performs latent-to-latent matching, resulting in quick, easy identification of potentially critical leads.

“In today’s forensic environment, whether in a military, humanitarian, homeland security or law enforcement scenario, every second counts,” said Adam Weiner, a principal with Booz Allen. “By putting the VAMPIRE device in the hands of investigators, we can greatly reduce the time it takes to get valuable forensic information that could break open a case. VAMPIRE makes it possible to begin the forensic collection and analysis process before a trail goes cold and does so in ways that allow for faster pursuit of persons of interest.”

Booz Allen will be demonstrating the VAMPIRE device at the 121st Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Law Enforcement Education and Technology Exposition in Orlando, FL.

Source: Planetbiometrics

Obama’s cybersecurity chief stresses biometrics’ importance

eSSL Security:

US President Barack Obama’s top cybersecurity adviser has said that biometric scanning devices are the most likely technology to replace passwords as identification technology evolves.

White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel said at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Northrop Grumman and the Centre for National Policy that passwords should be ‘killed dead’ as a primary security method.

“It has to be replaced with something easy to use. There are variety of technologies that will be able to do that, some of which will be biometric-related. You started to see some of that with the emergence of fingerprint readers but also you can use the cameras on cell phones, which are now ubiquitous.”

He also pointed out the potential of face recognition security through device’s cameras: “Selfies could actually be used for something other than posting on Facebook.”

Cybersecurity incidents in the U.S. in 2014 rose 48% over the year before to 42.8 million, according to a report released by PWC in September.

Source: Planetbiometrics

Sniffing-out smell of disease in feces: ‘Electronic nose’ for rapid detection of Clostridum difficile infection

A fast-sensitive “electronic-nose” for sniffing the highly infectious bacteria C-diff, that causes diarrhea, temperature and stomach cramps, has been developed by a team at the University of Leicester.

Using a mass spectrometer, the research team has demonstrated that it is possible to identify the unique ‘smell’ of C-diff which would lead to rapid diagnosis of the condition.

What is more, the Leicester team say it could be possible to identify different strains of the disease simply from their smell — a chemical fingerprint — helping medics to target the particular condition.

The research is published on-line in the journal Metabolomics.

Professor Paul Monks, from the Department of Chemistry, said: “The rapid detection and identification of the bug Clostridium difficile (often known as C-diff) is a primary concern in healthcare facilities. Rapid and accurate diagnoses are important to reduce Clostridum difficile infections, as well as to provide the right treatment to infected patients.

“Delayed treatment and inappropriate antibiotics not only cause high morbidity and mortality, but also add costs to the healthcare system through lost bed days. Different strains of C. difficile can cause different symptoms and may need to be treated differently so a test that could determine not only an infection, but what type of infection could lead to new treatment options.”

The new published research from the University of Leicester has shown that is possible to ‘sniff’ the infection for rapid detection of Clostridium difficile. The team have measured the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) given out by different of strains of Clostridium difficile and have shown that many of them have a unique “smell.” In particular, different strains show different chemical fingerprints which are detected by a mass spectrometer.

The work was a collaboration between University chemists who developed the “electronic-nose” for sniffing volatiles and a colleague in microbiology who has a large collection of well characterised strains of Clostridium difficile.

The work suggests that the detection of the chemical fingerprint may allow for a rapid means of identifying C. difficile infection, as well as providing markers for the way the different strains grow.

Professor Monks added: “Our approach may lead to a rapid clinical diagnostic test based on the VOCs released from faecal samples of patients infected with C. difficile. We do not underestimate the challenges in sampling and attributing C. difficile VOCs from fecal samples.”

Dr Martha Clokie, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, added: “Current tests for C. difficile don’t generally give strain information — this test could allow doctors to see what strain was causing the illness and allow doctors to tailor their treatment.”

Professor Andy Ellis, from the Department of Chemistry, said: “This work shows great promise. The different strains of C-diff have significantly different chemical fingerprints and with further research we would hope to be able to develop a reliable and almost instantaneous tool for detecting a specific strain, even if present in very small quantities.”

Source: Sciencedaily

Indian railway stiff arms touts with palm scanners

eSSLSecurity

Pune Railway Division in India’s Maharashtra state has installed palm vein scanners in a bid to end the problem of ticket touts clogging up train stations with queues.

Before buying a ticket, commuters will now have to collect a coupon after enrolling at palm scanners placed outside, as was reported by mid-day news.

The coupon can be used to buy six train tickets. Meanwhile, commuters can print up to three coupons a day, ensuring that no one can book more than 18 tickets a day.

Passengers take these coupons to specified reservation counters inside the reservation office (only people holding coupons can enter) – where queuing has been reduced due to the avoidance of touts buying up dozens of tickets.

“The new system is really effective and streamlines the process. It’s very impressive and the way it has been handled by the railway officials is amazing,” Rajesh Singh, an Undri resident told the newspaper.

The biometric identification is also planned to help the division keep track of passengers and the number of tickets they are reserving.

Yogendra Singh, PRO, Pune railway division, said, “The biometric system has been put in place to stop the entry of touts. We have installed two machines, each at the cost of Rs 1.5 lakh. We are also planning to install the system at Shivajinagar, Khadki and Pimpri stations in the coming days.”

Since 2008, some Indian train stations have introduced palm vein scans developed by Fujitsu India that establish the identity of drivers, with the device also integrating a breath analyser that checks alcohol levels.

Source: Planetbiometrics

Bill Gates talks biometric identification, banking for emerging countries

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recently said his foundation was ready to partner with the banking industry to develop affordable digital payments and biometric identity authorization services via mobile phones to individuals in emerging countries.

In his closing keynote presentation at the annual Sibos convention in Boston, Gates discussed his foundation’s continued work in providing financial services to the impoverished.

He encouraged financial institutions to get involved in serving individuals in developing countries by providing digital financial services and establishing partnerships for low-cost digital payments and identity services through the mobile phone.

“The cost has to be extremely low and the volume has to be very high,” said Gates. “We want the platform to be so flexible that the companies involved in the payment system don’t have to be the companies that make the loans.”

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Gates said that Apple’s recent innovations in biometric identification, along with digital currencies like bitcoin could lower costs and make financial services more affordable for individuals in the developing world.

When asked if Microsoft should also be a major player in the field of biometric identification, Gates, who serves as Microsoft’s technology advisor, seemed more concerned about other key areas.

“Of all the things Microsoft needs to do in terms of making people more productive in their work, helping them communication in new ways — it’s a long list of opportunities Microsoft has to innovate — taking Office and making it dramatically better is really high on the list there,” said Gates. “That’s the kind of stuff that I’m trying to help them move fast on.”

Gates has been a long supporter and contributor of the advancement of biometrics technology.

Source: Biometricupdate, eSSLSecurity

Dartmouth researchers develop biometric bracelet to secure your PC

 eSSL Security

Researchers at Dartmouth College have developed a wearable bracelet that uses a combination of wrist movement data and other biometrics as an identity authentication method, according to a report by CBR Online.

The average authentication method works solely when users log out from the computer terminal after using it. However, users frequently forget to log out, which creates a huge security risk, said researchers.

The Zero-Effort Bilateral Recurring Authentication, or ZEBRA, bracelet is designed to resolve this potential breach of security.

The bracelet is equipped with a built-in embedded accelerometer, a gyroscope and radio, all which record the wrist movements of the wearer when he or she is using a computer terminal.

The device then processes the information and transmits it to the terminal, which compares the wrist movement against the data it receives from the user via the keyboard and mouse.

“Because the bracelet is on the same hand that provides inputs to the terminal, the accelerometer and gyroscope data and input events received by the terminal should correlate because their source is the same – the user’s hand movement,” the researchers said.

According to researchers, the biometric device had an accuracy rate of 85% in verifying the correct user and identified all adversaries within 11 seconds following experiments.

“We confirm the user’s continued presence by observing what the user is doing from two different sources and comparing those observations; we call this bilateral authentication,” the researchers said. “This approach complements any method that may be used for initial authentication, such as a password, a token, or a fingerprint biometric.”