Biometrics | EPFL Graph Search

Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?

Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of GraphSearch.

Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance. Biometric identifiers are the distinctive, measurable characteristics used to label and describe individuals. Biometric identifiers are often categorized as physiological characteristics which are related to the shape of the body. Examples include, but are not limited to fingerprint, palm veins, face recognition, DNA, palm print, hand geometry, iris recognition, retina, odor/scent, voice, shape of ears and gait. Behavioral characteristics are related to the pattern of behavior of a person, including but not limited to mouse movement, typing rhythm, gait, signature, behavioral profiling, and credentials. Some researchers have coined the term behaviometrics to describe the latter class of biometrics. More traditional means of access control include token-based identification systems, such as a driver's license or passport, and knowledge-based identification systems, such as a password or personal identification number. Since biometric identifiers are unique to individuals, they are more reliable in verifying identity than token and knowledge-based methods; however, the collection of biometric identifiers raises privacy concerns about the ultimate use of this information. Many different aspects of human physiology, chemistry or behavior can be used for biometric authentication. The selection of a particular biometric for use in a specific application involves a weighting of several factors. Jain et al. (1999) identified seven such factors to be used when assessing the suitability of any trait for use in biometric authentication. Biometric authentication is based upon biometric recognition which is an advanced method of recognising biological and behavioural characteristics of an Individual.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (103)

Related people (16)

Related units (1)

Related concepts (31)

Related courses (5)

Related lectures (26)

COM-418: Computers and music

In this class we will explore some of the fundamental ways in which the pervasiveness of digital devices has completely revolutionized the world of music in the last 40 years, both from the point of v

EE-612: Fundamentals in statistical pattern recognition

This course provides in-depth understanding of the most fundamental algorithms in statistical pattern recognition or machine learning (including Deep Learning) as well as concrete tools (as Python sou

COM-301: Computer security

This is an introductory course to computer security and privacy. Its goal is to provide students with means to reason about security and privacy problems, and provide them with tools to confront them.

Are GAN-based Morphs Threatening Face Recognition?

Sébastien Marcel, Eklavya Sarkar, Laurent Colbois

Morphing attacks are a threat to biometric systems where the biometric reference in an identity document can be altered. This form of attack presents an important issue in applications relying on iden

IEEE2022

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have achieved great success in a wide range of applications, such as image recognition, object detection, and semantic segmentation. Even thoughthe discriminative power of

EPFL2022

Vulnerability Analysis of Face Morphing Attacks from Landmarks and Generative Adversarial Networks

Sébastien Marcel, Eklavya Sarkar, Laurent Colbois

Morphing attacks is a threat to biometric systems where the biometric reference in an identity document can be altered. This form of attack presents an important issue in applications relying on ident

Idiap2020

A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfaces such as glass or metal. Deliberate impressions of entire fingerprints can be obtained by ink or other substances transferred from the peaks of friction ridges on the skin to a smooth surface such as paper.

An authenticator is a means used to confirm a user's identity, that is, to perform digital authentication. A person authenticates to a computer system or application by demonstrating that he or she has possession and control of an authenticator. In the simplest case, the authenticator is a common password. Using the terminology of the NIST Digital Identity Guidelines, the party to be authenticated is called the claimant while the party verifying the identity of the claimant is called the verifier.

An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID card, citizen card), or passport card. Some countries issue formal identity documents, as national identification cards that may be compulsory or non-compulsory, while others may require identity verification using regional identification or informal documents.

Explores the evolution and advantages of micromachined ultrasonic transducers, focusing on PMUTs and their applications in biometric identity verification and high-resolution imaging.

Covers the concept of biometrics, the process of enrolling and verifying biometrics, and the importance of balancing false positives and false negatives.

Explores the development of biometric technologies based on finger vein recognition to enhance security and privacy.