Modular biometric authentication service system (MBASSy)

Abstract

In this paper we present the design of a modular authentication system, which enables users to select an authentication procedure by preference. A survey, carried out by N.L. Clarke and S.M. Furnell [CF05], proved the classical PIN-authentication to be inconvenient for many users. Passwords and PINs are either secure or easy to remember. Since humans tend to forget complex permutations of characters and numbers, the chosen secrets are often insecure. The purpose of the system is to provide an infrastructure which allows the implementation and usage of alternative authentication procedures. This approach could lead to an increased acceptance of authentication on smartphones and thus an increased security of the devices. A prototype based on the concepts presented in this paper was implemented for the android operating system and a gait recognition module is being actively developed. Further modules like face recognition, voice recognition or graphical authentication schemes can be integrated which depicts the flexibility of the system.