Government Access Control

In 2004 HSPD-12 was published which set forth broad goals for access control and identity management of Government employees and contractors. In response to the above goals of HSPD-12, NIST developed the Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPs 201). The government project that this is commonly referred to is known as the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees / Contractors. The FIPs 201 guidelines are not limited to government; steps are also being taken by corporations such seeking an interoperable and secure access control program, such as, Boeing and Johnson & Johnson. Common initiatives that fall under HSPD-12 are the PIV card and Common Access Card (CAC).

Biometrics is an important part of FIPs 201 adding multiple factor authentication for identification processing. Traditionally access control systems have relied on ID cards that can be stolen, lost, shared or copied. With a biometric image, such as a face or fingerprint image stored on the card, there is a secure and efficient way to ensure the person holding a card is the rightful owner.

Advantages

Typically, there are three accepted ways to authenticate or prove identity to a system or an authorized person.

Something you have - like an ID card.
Something you know - such as a PIN number.
Something you are - a biometric, such as facial features, fingerprints etc.

When two or more of these are used together for an identification decision it is called multi factor authentication. The PIV program is using, at a minimum, dual factor: card plus biometric, which offers a very secure solution that exceeds using cards alone.

The PIV program typically works in what is called verification mode (1:1) matching. The system verifies that the person belongs to the card by matching the biometric template stored on the card to the person standing in front of the access point and biometric device. Bioscrypt VisionAccess 3D facial recognition technology can perform this matching process in less than one second for very fast throughput.

Every access situation requires unique consideration. For example, at main entry points where volume throughput capability is critical to maintaining a normal flow of people traffic without interruption, it is imperative to have devices that are both fast and non-intrusive. Bioscrypt has made many advances in facial recognition technology over the past few years with improvements in critical categories -- security levels/accuracy; speed; and the user experience.

VisionAccess facial recognition technology utilizes distinctive features of the face to perform authentication. The 3D Images are captured in real time and focus on features where rigid tissue or bone is most apparent and less likely to change over time, which includes the eye socket curvature, nose, chin, etc. The following are some of the significant advantages that this technology enables.

Introduces depth as a 3rd axis of measurement allowing facial angles and curves to be measured on a sub-millimeter scale.
Not affected by lighting conditions and may even be used in darkness.
Robust to different view angles and has the potential to recognize a subject at near 30 degrees.
Ability to perform verification matching in milliseconds.

The points above are very important for system flexibility leading to ease of use for users of the technology. For any biometric technology there are several aspects that are required of the solution for a successful deployment. These factors include a system that requires minimal cooperation from the subject, allows for flexibility in positioning and ambient conditions, has a high level of accuracy, and is ergonomically designed to keep people moving quickly through secured areas.

Solutions

Identity Verification

Bioscrypt biometric products and solutions ensures that a card holder is authorized for the security access level intended per individual, preventing card sharing or swapping, and thereby unauthorized accesses.

Audit Capabilities

The 3D Face Readers can capture and store a unique audit trail of access transactions, which include a jpeg image of access attempts. The photo images offer evidence, in case of theft or unauthorized attempted entries, to provide authorities using watch lists or conducting investigations.