Evaluating Biometric Systems: Testing Protocols And Challenges

James Bond technologies like face recognition, fingerprint sensors, hand geometry, and other biometric security systems may be impossible to accurately evaluate, unless researchers also measure the performance of the testers and the demographics of the subjects, a key researcher said Wednesday. . . . James Bond technologies like face recognition, fingerprint sensors, hand geometry, and other biometric security systems may be impossible to accurately evaluate, unless researchers also measure the performance of the testers and the demographics of the subjects, a key researcher said Wednesday.

"Vulnerability tests have been around for a decade, the problem is developing test protocols to test for vulnerabilities," says Dr. Jim Wayman, director of the biometric test center at San Jose State University, speaking at the 11th annual USENIX Security Symposium. "Going from technical results to what happens in a real world system, you have to go through a mathematical modeling system.

Wayman is developing test protocols for evaluation of biometrics device performance, which are slated to post as an annex to the ISO 15408 Common Criteria. He notes that while testing protocols are still in their infancy, millions of dollars are already being poured into biometric systems.

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