Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 15 views

    Unit-4 (Entity Authentication)

    Uploaded by

    Tisha Nimje
    Passwords are a common form of authentication but have problems like being stored in clear text or traveling over networks in clear text. Biometric authentication uses unique biological traits like fingerprints, iris patterns, or voice to authenticate users. It provides stronger authentication than passwords but has challenges like cost, error rates, and user acceptance issues. Overall, both password-based schemes and biometric authentication methods have benefits and limitations to consider for authentication.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Unit-4 (Entity Authentication)

    Uploaded by

    Tisha Nimje
    15 views27 pages
    Passwords are a common form of authentication but have problems like being stored in clear text or traveling over networks in clear text. Biometric authentication uses unique biological traits like fingerprints, iris patterns, or voice to authenticate users. It provides stronger authentication than passwords but has challenges like cost, error rates, and user acceptance issues. Overall, both password-based schemes and biometric authentication methods have benefits and limitations to consider for authentication.

    Original Title

    Unit-4(Entity Authentication)

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Passwords are a common form of authentication but have problems like being stored in clear text or traveling over networks in clear text. Biometric authentication uses unique biological traits like fingerprints, iris patterns, or voice to authenticate users. It provides stronger authentication than passwords but has challenges like cost, error rates, and user acceptance issues. Overall, both password-based schemes and biometric authentication methods have benefits and limitations to consider for authentication.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    15 views27 pages

    Unit-4 (Entity Authentication)

    Uploaded by

    Tisha Nimje
    Passwords are a common form of authentication but have problems like being stored in clear text or traveling over networks in clear text. Biometric authentication uses unique biological traits like fingerprints, iris patterns, or voice to authenticate users. It provides stronger authentication than passwords but has challenges like cost, error rates, and user acceptance issues. Overall, both password-based schemes and biometric authentication methods have benefits and limitations to consider for authentication.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 27

    PASSWORDS

     Passwords are the most common form of authentication.


     A password is a string of alphabets, numbers and special characters,
    which is supposed to be known only to the entity (usually a person) that
    is being authenticated. There are great myths about passwords.
    Clear-Text Password
     This is the simplest password-based authentication mechanism.
     Usually, every user in the system is assigned a user id and an initial password. The user
    changes the password periodically for security reasons. The password is stored in clear
    text in the user database against the user id on the server.
     Steps:
     Step 1: Prompt for User Id and Password
     Step 2: User Enters User Id and Password
     Step 3: User Id and Password Validation
     Step 4: Authentication Result
     Step 5: Inform User Accordingly
    Problems with the Scheme

     (a) Problem 1—Database Contains Passwords in Clear Text


     (b) Problem 2—Password Travels in Clear Text from the User’s
    Computer to the Server
    Something Derived from Passwords

     The variation from the basic password-based authentication is not to use the password itself, but
    to use something that is derived from the password
     That is, instead of storing the password as it is, or in an encrypted format, we can run some
    algorithm on the password and store the output of this algorithm as the (derived) password in the
    database.
     When the user wants to be authenticated, the user enters the password, the user’s computer
    performs the same algorithm locally, and sends the derived password to the server, where it is
    verified.
     Several requirements need to be met to ensure that this scheme
    works correctly:
     Each time the algorithm is executed for the same password, it
    must produce the same output.
     The output of the algorithm (i.e. something derived from the
    password) must not provide any clues regarding the original
    password.
     It should be infeasible for an attacker to provide an incorrect
    password, and yet obtain the correct derived password.
    Message Digests of Passwords
     Step 1: Storing Message Digests as Derived Passwords in the User Database
    Step 2: User Authentication
    Step 3: Server-side Validation

    *Replay attacks are possible in this scheme.


    Adding Randomness

     Step 1: Storing Message Digests as Derived Passwords in the User Database


     Step 2: User Sends a Login Request Here, the user sends the login request only with
    his/her user id (and neither the password, nor the message digest of the password).
     Step 3: Server Creates a Random Challenge:. If the user id is valid, the server now
    creates a random challenge (a random number, generated using a pseudorandom
    number generation technique), and sends it back to the user. The random challenge can
    travel as plain text from the server to the user’s computer.
     Step 4: User Signs the Random Challenge with the Message Digest of the Password
     Step 5: Server Verifies the Encrypted Random Challenge Received from the User
     Step 6: Server Returns an Appropriate Message back to the User
    The Problems with Passwords

     Password maintenance is a very big concern for system administrators. A study shows
    that system administrators spend about 40% of their time creating, resetting or changing
    user passwords! This can truly be a nightmare for them.
     “There are no easy solutions here”.
    BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION

     Biometric authentication is a type of system that relies on the unique biological characteristics of
    individuals to verify identity for secure access to electronic systems.
     Biometric verification is considered a subset of biometric authentication.
     The biometric technologies involved are based on the ways in which individuals can be uniquely
    identified through one or more distinguishing biological traits, such as fingerprints, hand geometry,
    earlobe geometry, retina and iris patterns, voice waves,keystroke dynamics, DNA and signatures.
     Biometric authentication is the application of that proof of identity as part of a process validating a
    user for access to a system.
     The important idea in biometrics is that the sample produced during every authentication process can
    vary slightly. This is because the physical characteristics of the user may change for a number of
    reasons.
     Biometric authentication systems compare the current biometric data capture to stored, confirmed
    authentic data in a database. If both samples of the biometric data match, authentication is confirmed
    and access is granted. The process is sometimes part of a multifactor authentication system.
     For example, a smartphone user might log on with his personal identification number (PIN) and then
    provide an iris scan to complete the authentication process.
     During the user registration process, multiple samples of the user biometric data are created. They are
    combined and their average stored in the user database, so that the different possibilities of the user’s
    samples during the actual authentication can roughly map to this average sample.
     Using this basic philosophy, any biometric authentication system defines two configurable parameters:.
    The FAR is a measurement of the chance that a user who should be rejected is actuathe False Accept
    Ratio (FAR) and the False Reject Ratio
     The FAR is a measurement of the chance that a user who should be rejected is actually accepted by a
    system as good enough.
     FRR is a measurement of the chance that a user who should be accepted as valid is actually rejected by
    a system as not good enough. Thus, FAR and FRR are exactly opposite of each other.
    The Working of Biometrics

     A typical authentication process involving biometrics firstly involves the creation of the user’s
    sample and its storage in the user database.
     During the actual authentication, the user is required to provide a sample of the same nature (e.g. a
    retina scan or a fingerprint).
     This is usually sent across an encrypted session (e.g. by using SSL) to the server. On the server, the
    user’s current sample is decrypted, and compared with the one stored in the database.
     If the two samples match to the expected degree on the basis of the particular values of FAR or
    FRR, the user is considered as authenticated successfully. Otherwise, the user is considered as
    invalid.
    Types of Authentication Methods

     Biometric techniques are generally classified into two sub-categories, namely


    physiological and behavioral.

     Physiological Techniques:
     (a) Face
     (b) Voice
     (c) Fingerprint
     (d) Iris
     (e) Retina
     2. Behavioral Techniques
    The idea in behavioral techniques is to observe a person to ensure that he/she is not
    trying to claim to be someone else. In other words, here the emphasis is on checking
    that a person’s behavior is not unusual or abnormal.
     Two main techniques are used here, as discussed below.

    (a) Keystroke :Several characteristics such as the speed of typing, strength of keystrokes,
    time between two keystrokes, error percentage and frequency, etc., can be measured for
    identifying users. However, it is not as reliable as many other authentication mechanisms.

    (b) Signature This is an old technique. Cheques and many other documents are expected to
    be physically signed by the authorizer. This is now extended by keeping a scanned copy of
    a person’s signature and comparing this computer-based scanned signature with the paper
    signature as and when the need arises
    Finger Print Recognition

     Minutiae

     Pattern Matching

     Problems: sometimes unusable


    Iris Recognition

     Uses infrared light

     Converts Images to vectors

     Needs further development


    Facial Recognition

     Location and position of facial


    features

     Dependent on background and


    lighting conditions
    Voice Verification

     Factors: pitch, intensity, quality


    and duration

     Text dependent

     Text independent

     Problems: include background


    noise
    Hand Geometry

     Scan both sides of hand

     Primarily used for verification

     Not as accurate as other


    methods
    Dynamic Signature

     Factors: velocity,
    acceleration and speed

     Mainly used for verification

     Problems: forgers could


    reproduce
    Retina Recognition

     One of the most secure


    means of biometrics

     Unique to each person

     Unique to each eye

     Problems: require effort on


    the part of subjects
    Other Types

     Keystroke

     Gait

     DNA

     Odor
    Commercial Applications

     Computer login

     Electronic Payment

     ATMs

     Record Protection
    Government Applications

     Passport control

     Border control

     Access Control
    Forensic Applications

     Missing Persons

     Corpse identification

     Criminal investigations
    Limitations of Biometric authentication

     The following five fundamental barriers may limit the growth of biometric Authentication:
    1. Biometrics can be complicated and costly to deploy.
    2. The market is still fractured.
    3. Biometric data is like any other data. It sits on servers, which are bait for hackers if not properly
    hardened and secured.
    4. Biometric readers are prone to errors.
    5. Difficulties with user acceptance.

    You might also like