Embedded access points for trusted data and resources access in HPC systems

Abstract

Biometric authentication systems represent a valid alternative to the conventional username-password based approach for user authentication. However, authentication systems composed of a biometric reader, a smartcard reader, and a networked workstation which perform user authentication via software algorithms have been found to be vulnerable in two areas: firstly in their communication channels between readers and workstation (communication attacks) and secondly through their processing algorithms and/or matching results overriding (replay attacks, confidentiality and integrity threats related to the stored information of the networked workstation). In this paper, a full hardware access point for HPC environments is proposed. The access point is composed of a fingerprint scanner, a smartcard reader, and a hardware core for fingerprint processing and matching. The hardware processing core can be described as a Handel-C algorithmic-like hardware programming language and prototyped via a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based board. The known indexes False Acceptance Rate (FAR) and False Rejection Rate (FRR) have been used to test the prototype authentication accuracy. Experimental trials conducted on several fingerprint DBs show that the hardware prototype achieves a working point with FAR=1.07% and FRR=8.33% on a proprietary DB which was acquired via a capacitive scanner, a working point with FAR=0.66% and FRR=6.13% on a proprietary DB which was acquired via an optical scanner, and a working point with FAR=1.52% and FRR=9.64% on the official FVC2002-DB2B database. In the best case scenario (depending on fingerprint image size), the execution time of the proposed recognizer is 183.32 ms. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Biometric Authentication Overview: a Fingerprint Recognition Sensor Description

“…The authentication of the user digital identity is classified in the three following approach [3] user recognition. These kind of systems can be easily violated, simply stealing the token or knowing the password.…”

“…For example, if a smartcard containing the biometric template is stolen, nobody will can utilize it because its biometric data will not coincide with those stored on the smartcard. The system access will be denied [3].…”

“…The database, containing an digital representation (template) of the biometric characteristic, can be centralized or distributed. If the database is distributed, every user will possess a personal support, as a smartcard with own biometrics characteristics [3].…”

“…These characteristics possess the following specific property [3] I. Universality: Each person must have the characteristic used by the system.…”

Energy Efficiency Evaluation of Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration in Field Programmable Gate Arrays: An Experimental Case Study

“…Current platforms are the result of generations of systems that have enabled the manipulation of big data: managing authentication, storage, processing, presentation of such information in a clear, efficient, and easy way [4,5]. In this context, the IoT paradigm may emerge successfully, since there is a need to overcome the traditional mobile computing scenarios, like smartphones and generic portable devices, and to evolve the idea in a permanent connection of objects to the environment [6].…”