Biometric Technologies and Verification Systems

John R. Vacca

Mar 2007 · Elsevier

About this ebook

Biometric Technologies and Verification Systems is organized into nine parts composed of 30 chapters, including an extensive glossary of biometric terms and acronyms. It discusses the current state-of-the-art in biometric verification/authentication, identification and system design principles. It also provides a step-by-step discussion of how biometrics works; how biometric data in human beings can be collected and analyzed in a number of ways; how biometrics are currently being used as a method of personal identification in which people are recognized by their own unique corporal or behavioral characteristics; and how to create detailed menus for designing a biometric verification system.

Only biometrics verification/authentication is based on the identification of an intrinsic part of a human being. Tokens, such as smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, and physical keys can be lost, stolen, or duplicated. Passwords can be forgotten, shared, or unintentionally observed by a third party. Forgotten passwords and lost "smart cards" are a nuisance for users and an expensive time-waster for system administrators. Biometric security solutions offer some unique advantages for identifying and verifying/ authenticating human beings over more traditional security methods. This book will serve to identify the various security applications biometrics can play a highly secure and specific role in.

* Contains elements such as Sidebars, Tips, Notes and URL links
* Heavily illustrated with over 150 illustrations, screen captures, and photographs
* Details the various biometric technologies and how they work while providing a discussion of the economics, privacy issues and challenges of implementing biometric security solutions

About the author

John Vacca is an independent information technology consultant and researcher, professional writer, editor, reviewer, and author based in Pomeroy, Ohio, USA. Since 1982, John has authored, edited, and published more than 85 books, including Smart Cities Policies and Financing: Approaches and Solutions, Elsevier; Cloud Computing Security: Foundations and Challenges, Taylor and Francis/CRC Press; Solving Urban Infrastructure Problems Using Smart City Technologies: Handbook on Planning, Design, Development, and Regulation, Elsevier; Online Terrorist Propaganda, Recruitment, and Radicalization, Taylor and Francis/CRC Press; Nanoscale Networking and Communications Handbook, Taylor and Francis/CRC Press; Handbook of Sensor Networking: Advanced Technologies and Applications, Taylor and Francis/CRC Press; Network and System Security 2/e, Elsevier/Syngress; Cyber Security and IT Infrastructure Protection, Elsevier/Syngress; and Managing Information Security 2/e, Elsevier/Syngress; among many others. John was a Configuration Management Specialist, Computer Specialist, and the Computer Security Official (CSO) for NASA’s space station program (Freedom) and the International Space Station Program from 1988 until his retirement from NASA in 1995. John has also been a security consultant for major motion pictures, including AntiTrust, Collateral, and Identity Theft: The Michelle Brown Story. He received his M.Sc. from Kansas State University and an MBA from Emporia State University and served in the United States Air Force from 1967-1971.