Privacy Preserving and Secure Iris-Based Biometric Authentication for Computer Networks

Abstract

The iris biometrics is considered one of the most accurate and robust methods of the identity verification. The unique iris features of an individual can be presented in a compact binary form which can be easily compared with the reference template to confirm identity. However in contrast to passwords and PINs biometric authentication factors cannot be revoked and changed as they are inherently connected to our characteristics. Once the biometric information is compromised or disclosed it became useless for the purpose of authentication. Therefore there is a need to perform iris features matching without revealing the features itself and the reference template. We propose an extension of the standard irisbased verification protocol which introduces a features and template locking mechanism, which guarantee that no sensitive information is exposed. Presented solutions can be easily integrated into authentication mechanisms used in modern computer networks.