Information and computer security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information and computer security - Assignment Example e biometric user authentication system whereby the system is able to undertake automated authentication of users based on the biometric traits of their iris. The system particularly combines with use of cryptographic keys with the distinctive biometric traits of iris to develop authentication algorithms that can be used to provide individuals with access permission to an information system or data. As opposed to the use of the traditional passwords and PINs, crypto-biometric systems such as the iris based cryptographic keys are significantly more stable and less susceptible to attacks. For example, the public key infrastructure (PKI) method of generation may use the iris biometric features to enhance the security of Private Key and protect the user authentication systems against potential intruders (Bowyer, Hollingsworth, and Flynn, 2006). This is a significant improvement on the traditional cryptosystems where user authentication primarily relies on the possession of secrete keys wh ich may easily be forgotten, stolen or lost, and thus do not often provide nonrepudiation. Generally, the use of iris may provide a number of advantages and solutions to some of these challenges facing the traditional cryptosystems. For example, iris based key generation method for cryptography together with generation algorithms can be used to effectively bind cryptographic keys with the biometric template of a user in such a way that makes it significantly impossible to reveal the key without a successful biometric authentication. The process of using iris based key generation method for cryptography to develop a user authentication system usually involves a number of steps. Firstly, the biometric data of the iris of an individual is acquired using sensors and then the distinctive features are extracted before enrolling the user for biometric authentication. Next, the data is then used to generate cryptographic keys which can be released whenever an authorized user key presents