Security Issues

High Security

Affirmative's software employs SSL, 128 bit encrypted transmissions. This meets the highest standard of the government's current requirements.

 Even Higher Login Security

Affirmative Technologies is among the first to offer enhanced security measures with its ACH processing applications by including Biometric Security Systems protection as a part of the end-user login process. Things that a person knows, such as passwords and pin-numbers, can be forgotten, stolen, and/or duplicated. Instead, biometrics relies on "who" a person is-on a unique immutable human characteristic that cannot be lost, forgotten, stolen or duplicated, an individual’s fingerprint.

Biometrics provides the ultimate level of security, convenience, and ease of use. It is this security and convenience that Affirmative's fingerprint recognition system provides.

Biometric Security Systems

What is Biometrics?

Biometrics is an automated system of recognizing a person based on the person's physical or behavioral characteristics. It is the same system that the human brain uses to recognize and distinguish one person from another. It is a system that recognizes a person based on "who" the person is and does not rely on "what a person is carrying" or "what a person knows." Things that a person can carry, such as keys and ID-badges, can be lost, stolen, and/or duplicated. Things that a person knows, such as passwords and pin-numbers, can be forgotten, stolen, and/or duplicated. Instead, biometrics relies on "who" a person is-on a unique immutable human characteristic that cannot be lost, forgotten, stolen or duplicated: an individual’s fingerprint.

Biometrics provides the ultimate level of security, convenience and ease of use. It is this security and convenience that our high-quality fingerprint recognition system provides.

Why Fingerprints?

Biometric systems in use today include iris recognition, voice recognition, and fingerprint recognition systems among others. Iris recognition is extremely accurate but expensive to implement, and scanning the human eye is a sensitive issue that many find alarming. A typical voice recognition system is affordable but not always reliable since the human voice is subject to change during bouts of illness, hoarseness, or other common throat problems. Fingerprint recognition is considered the best choice for most applications because of its accuracy, speed, reliability, non-intrusive interfaces, and cost-effectiveness.

What is the difference between verification and identification?

Fingerprint recognition methodology is divided into two distinct processes: Verification and Identification. The Verification process is a one-to-one matching process (1:1). The user states who the user is. A new fingerprint sample is taken from the user and compared to the user's previously registered or stored fingerprint. If the fingerprints match, the user is "verified" as who they say they are, and granted all the privileges and access of the stated user-the system verifies who the user says they are. The Identification process is a one-to-many matching process (1:N). A user need not state who they are. A new fingerprint sample is taken from the user and compared to a database of existing fingerprints of registered or stored users. When a match is found, the user is "identified" as the preexisting user-the system finds who the user is. This one-to-many matching process is how the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) works.

What are the benefits of using biometric identification rather than conventional methods of security such as passwords, pin-numbers, physical-keys, access codes, or key cards?

Whether on the intranet or on the Internet, with this fingerprint recognition system, you, your company, and those you interact with on the Information Highway feel secure knowing you are who you say you are and not an impostor. Workflow is immediate and can be truly paperless when document authentication can be done over cyberspace.

Imagine... A world without cumbersome keys, access cards, ID-badges or a need to memorize numerous passwords, pin-numbers or access codes. A world that is more secure and convenient for you. These are the benefits of biometrics can offer. These benefits are not a dream but a reality of what is available today.

The SEIR Optical Method

Fingerprints can be captured in different ways. Current techniques include optical, ultrasound, or technologies based on semiconductor chips. New technology introduced the optical method by introducing the revolutionary Surface Enhanced Irregular Reflection (SEIR) technology, resulting in the most compact and durable optics-based fingerprint recognition systems in the world. These devices also protect against latent and "faked" fingerprints, a feature once considered the exclusive domain of expensive and highly specialized ultrasound technologies. The patent-pending scratch-proof platen of the optical module is another first in the industry; as hard as quartz, the sensor surface requires no special coatings or maintenance and is virtually unbreakable. The robust hardware extends the lifetime of these products far beyond any chip-based fingerprinting technologies, and is easily small enough to embed in handheld devices.

How it Works

At the most basic level, all optics-based fingerprint systems translate illuminated images of fingerprints into digital code for further software processing, e.g. enrollment (fingerprint registration) and verification (authentication of registered users).

These devices use the advanced SEIR method and CMOS image sensor to capture high contrast, high-resolution fingerprint images that are virtually distortion-free. A series of powerful algorithms extract minutiae data from the image, mapping the distinguishing characteristics of fingerprint ridge ends, splits, dots, and arches. Other fingerprint minutiae include whorls, loops, ridgelines, valleys, bifurcations, upper and lower cores, and deltas.

This data is then converted into a 400-byte digital template, and stored in memory or on disk. The actual fingerprint image is never stored, and cannot be constructed from templates. To identify or verify a fingerprint, a proprietary matching algorithm compares the extracted minutiae points from the input fingerprint on the optical module to a previously stored sample. The entire matching process takes roughly one second. Authentication takes place either locally or on a server, depending on system configuration.

What are the False Rejection Rate (FRR) and False Acceptance Rate (FAR) of these products?

The False Rejection Rate (FRR) states the percentage of instances an authorized individual is falsely rejected by the system. Generally speaking, this product's False Rejection Rate is 0.1%. The False Acceptance Rate (FAR) states the percentage of instances a non-authorized individual is falsely accepted by the system. Generally speaking, the False Acceptance Rate on these devices is 0.001%.

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