Perpetuating biometrics for authentication: Introducing the durable true-neighbor template

Abstract

The number of biometrically-enhanced authentication applications has outstripped our limited number of biometric features and controversy surrounds the actual availability of biometric information, fueling skepticism regarding their effective use for authentication. These concerns emphasize the imperative of addressing the singular nature of biometrics, motivating the need for durable biometric credentials that allow perpetual use of biometric information for authentication, even in the face of compromise. Toward this end, this paper introduces the Durable True-Neighbor Template (DTNT), a novel enhancement of our existing True-Neighbor Template (TNT) approach to fingerprint-based authentication that overcomes the singular nature of fingerprint biometrics through diversification using standard encryption. The results of a standard benchmark experiment, conducted using the FVC protocol with the FVC2006 and FVC2002 databases, are used to evaluate the effectiveness of DTNT for authentication. DTNT shows respectable authentication performance compared with TNT with a generallynegligible loss in fingerprint distinguishability.