Biometric Key Generation via Decoding Error Correction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Biometric authentication systems face challenges in protecting biometric reference data from unauthorized access and brute force attacks, particularly due to noise variations in biometric measurements, which can lead to false acceptance or rejection rates, and the vulnerability of cryptographic keys when biometric data is compared locally without secure transmission.

Innovation Solution

A method for generating a cryptographic key using error-correcting codes, where test biometric data is decoded against stored reference data using a flexible decoding method, ensuring that only a legitimate key allows access to server resources, and incorporating honey encryption and zero-knowledge proof protocols to enhance security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If biometric reference data is stored locally in clear for authentication, then authentication speed is improved, but security against unauthorized access and brute force attacks deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication speedVSAvoidsecurity against unauthorized access
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the biometric reference data from its original stored form and transforms it into an encoded representation that cannot be directly used for authentication. By removing the direct usability of the biometric data and replacing it with an encoded version, the system prevents brute force attacks while maintaining authentication functionality through the decoding process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an encoding/decoding mechanism as an intermediary between the stored biometric data and the authentication process. This intermediary layer transforms the biometric reference data into an encoded form that requires specific decoding operations to become usable, thereby protecting against unauthorized access while enabling legitimate authentication.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If biometric reference data is transmitted to the server for authentication, then authentication accuracy is improved, but security against data interception and unauthorized access deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication accuracyVSAvoidsecurity against data interception
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the sensitive biometric reference data from the transmission process by performing encoding before transmission. The encoded data is what gets transmitted instead of the raw biometric information, preventing interception attacks while preserving the ability to authenticate through the decoding operation at the server.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter representation of the biometric data by applying encoding transformations. The biometric data is transformed from its original form into an encoded parameter representation that maintains the necessary information for authentication while being secure during transmission and storage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If error correction is applied to handle noise in biometric measurements, then false rejection rate is improved, but system complexity and computational overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefalse rejection rateVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the error correction functionality with the encoding/decoding operations. By combining these functions into a unified process, the system handles noise in biometric measurements without requiring separate complex error correction subsystems, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining low false rejection rates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If brute force attacks are prevented by securing the biometric data, then security against attacks is improved, but false acceptance rate may increase due to noise variations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity against brute force attacksVSAvoidfalse acceptance rate
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms through the decoding process that verifies the authenticity of decoded data. The system uses the encoded reference data as a benchmark to validate decoded biometric data, providing feedback that distinguishes between legitimate authentication attempts and brute force attacks, thereby maintaining both security and low false acceptance rates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3280089B1Key-generation method and access-control method
Publication Date: 2022.03.09 IDEMIA IDENTITY & SECURITY FRANCE SAS
  • EP3280089B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3280089B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3280089B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for generating a cryptographic key for implementing an access control method for a server resource (20) by a client terminal (10), the method comprising the following steps: - (E1) receiving a test biometric data (DBtest), - (E2) applying a decoding method to the test biometric data (DBtest) and a reference data (Dref) to obtain a cryptographic key (K') such that: if the test biometric data (DBtest) corresponds to the reference biometric data (DBref), the generated cryptographic key (K') is the legitimate cryptographic authentication key (KI), otherwise, the generated cryptographic key (K') is an illegitimate cryptographic authentication key (Ki) not allowing the authentication of the client terminal (10) to the server (20) during access control,and - (E3) use of the generated key for the implementation of an access control process (F3) to a server resource (20) by the client terminal (10).