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Cancelable Biometrics

This is a method of enhancing the security and privacy of biometric authentication. Instead of enrolling with your true finger (or other biometric), the fingerprint is intentionally distorted in a repeatable manner and this new print is used. If, for some reason, your old fingerprint is "stolen", an essentially "new" fingerprint can be issued by simply changing the parameters of the distortion process. This also results in enhanced privacy for the user since his true fingerprint is never used anywhere, and different distortions can be used for different types of accounts. The same technique can also be used with other biometrics (as shown below) to achieve similar benefits.

Original Image 1 Original Image 2
Original Image 1 Original Image 2
 
Intentional Distortion
 
Same Distortion Applied
Intentional Distortion Same Distortion Applied



Selected publications:

Enhancing security and privacy in biometrics-based authentication systems
N. Ratha, J. Connell, R. Bolle
IBM Systems Journal, vol. 40, no. 3, 2001, pp. 614-634.
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Contact: Nalini Ratha Last updated: 6/7/02
 
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