Linux Biometrics Site Opens Doors

flickerfly writes "A new site to unite the individuals interested in Linux and Biometrics has opened its doors. LinuxBiometrics.com's purpose is to fill the biometrics void in the Open Source community. With the increased adoption of Linux in europe and the recent increase in biometrics interest by the EU, this appears to be a field ready to blossom into heavy adoption and will be in need of OSS support."

Comments

It's a matter of trust and privacy

[kebes]

Open source biometrics shouldn't just be for those wacky Europeans who like OSS. Important security issues like biometrics should be engineered in an transparent fashion. This is necessary so that the citizens can be assured that their privacy is not being infringed, and that their security is being maintained.

Closed formats and security through obscurity have well documented shortcomings. For important government and security applications (voting machines, encryption, etc.) it seems like an open standard and open software is a much better way to ensure reliability, stability, fairness, and so forth. After all, security is pointless without trust... and I would argue that trust in a system is enhanced by it being open.

Re:Be careful with biometrics!

[kebes]

This is one of the problems with biometrics. I would rather someone steal my bank card and demand to know my PIN, rather than having them cut off my hand or cut out my eye.

For every countermeasure there is a counter-countermeasure. If heat sensors are included, thieves will just use a lighter (or whatever) to warm a finger before using it. I've often thought that retinal scanners should check to see if blood is actually flowing in the veins/arteries in the retina, but this is not (currently) feasible I think. If this countermeasure existed, then no doubt someone would figure out a way to beat it (artificially flowing liquid through a detached eye sounds complicated, but you could probably fool the sensor by casting moving shadows on the back of a detached eye, thereby simulating the proper pulsating effect of veins...). I've also thought that eye-scanners that use the iris pattern instead of retinal pattern could emit a flash of light and monitor the rate at which the pupil contracts. This would be proof that the eye is alive (since it reacts) and could even perhaps guard against people being drugged or stressed. Again, however, I worry that someone would overcome it.

The exact form of the criminal's counter-countermeasure of course depends on how the device works, but eventually they'll figure out how to beat it. Now, a technological escalation on cracking encryption or snooping network traffic is one thing... but when it comes to biometrics, it puts peoples lives in danger. So perhaps we should rethink this whole biometric thing. Is my car or bank account really worth so much that I'm willing to endanger my hand or eye???

Re:Be careful with biometrics!

[HermanAB]

So, what about cold countries. I once walked into the bank and could not sign my name - my hands were too cold. So, they just laughed and carried on without a signature.