News

Biometrics and Cybersecurity: The Idiap Research Institute as a Key Player

For many years, the Idiap Research Institute has actively participated in numerous national and international research projects in the field of biometric cybersecurity and received total funding amounts of several tens of millions of Swiss francs.

The institute’s growing reputation thanks to its biometrics research group and its Swiss Center for Biometrics Research and Testing, led by Dr Sébastien Marcel, can be measured by its recent successes. Indeed, Google has chosen Idiap as the only European partner within the framework of an exclusive research project. Also, in the context of spoofing attacks, IARPA, the American Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, has taken Idiap research as inspiration.

Numerous active research projects

In Switzerland, the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) trusted Idiap and its partners (CSEM, HES-SO Valais, BioWatch, KeyLemon and IT Services) and funds 3 new research projects on vein and face biometrics.

In Norway, the Research Council funds a project of 4 years on mobile biometrics (face, voice, iris and fingerprints) for banking applications.

In the United States, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has allowed Idiap to participate in a project of the program « Media Forensics » that aims to detect manipulations of audio and video sources.

The Swiss Center for Biometrics Research and Testing and its BEAT platform at the heart of the ecosystem

All the innovative projects listed above require capturing new biometric data for research and evaluation purposes. Idiap, in collaboration with is partners, has launched an ambitious program to collect multimodal biometrics data (face, voice, vein, iris and fingerprints) from volunteers over the range of 2 years. Data will be anonymous, secured and available for research and evaluation, in particular thanks to the BEAT platform, co-developed by the Swiss Center for Biometrics Research and Testing and backed by the Canton of Valais and the City of Martigny. This platform, unique in its kind, is of growing interest for international actors active in this biometrics cyber-security and computational science in general.
Oct 22, 2013

New patent on vein anti-spoofing (PAD)

Idiap published on Feb 18 2016 a PCT patent on biometric vein anti-spoofing (also called presentation attack detection) under the reference WO/2016/023582.

(WO2016023582) A METHOD OF DETECTING A FALSIFIED PRESENTATION TO A VASCULAR RECOGNITION SYSTEM
Feb 22, 2016

The Who’s who of biometrical standards meets up at Idiap from January 11-19, 2016

The Idiap Research Institute and the Swiss Center for Biometrics Research and Testing of Martigny welcome this week the ISO working groups in the field of biometrics.

The Idiap Research Institute and the Swiss Center for Biometrics Research and Testing, co-founded by Idiap, the canton of Valais and the city of Martigny, will welcome - for the first time - , from January 11-19, the international delegations of ISO standards in the field of biometrics (http://www.biometrics-center.ch/jtc1-sc37-martigny2015).

The aim of this meeting? Discussions and defining the future agenda in the domain of biometric standardization. More than 80 experts of biometrics coming from all four corners of the globe are expected, especially researchers, engineers and stakeholders of different governments.

The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an organism developing international standards used in the industrial and commercial sectors. Being composed of 162 member countries, it is the biggest standardization organization in the world. The goal of this institution is to make sure that products observing the ISO standards are secure, reliable and of good quality.

This meeting is concerned above all else with the improvement of standards in the field of biometrics related to the security of technologies. The objective is obviously to transfer these technologies to the industrial domain. Biometrics will play a big role in the future, especially in terms of security.

The following subjects will be treated during this week: the harmonization of the biometrics vocabulary; technical biometrics interfaces; the exchange formats of biometric data; the technical implementation of biometric systems; biometric test and reports for performance certifications.

The organization of these days is sponsored by the Idiap Research Institute, the Swiss Center of Biometrics Research and Testing, the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV), the European Association for Biometrics (EAB) and the Hasler Foundation.

Sébastien Marcel, Idiap researcher and in charge of the management committee of the Swiss Center of Biometrics Research and Testing, declares: « We are honored to have been chosen to welcome the ISO working groups of biometrics. This is proof of the international recognition of our work in biometrics and the visibility created by the Center. It is also a success for the city of Martigny and the canton of Valais that support the development of the technological Valais.”
Jan 11, 2016

European Biometrics Symposium on Presentation Attack Detection in Martigny

Jan 19 2016 afternoon

The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is organizing its annual Symposium in Martigny Switzerland on Jan 19 2016 afternoon after the meetings of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC37 Biometrics.

The Symposium will focus on Presentation Attacks and Presentation Attack Detection ( http://www.eab.org/events/program/108 ).

The Symposium will also reveal the two main outcomes of the European BEAT project:

a methodology for Common Criteria evaluations of biometric systems,
the BEAT platform as a tool for the characterization of biometric performance.

Attendance to the event is free for EAB members or SC37 delegates however online registration is needed http://www.eab.org/events/registration/108?ts=1450421577237.
Dec 18, 2015

European Biometrics Symposium on Presentation Attack Detection in Martigny

Jan 19 2016 afternoon

The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is organizing its annual Symposium in Martigny Switzerland on Jan 19 2016 afternoon after the meetings of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC37 Biometrics.

The Symposium will focus on Presentation Attacks and Presentation Attack Detection ( http://www.eab.org/events/program/108 ).

The Symposium will also reveal the two main outcomes of the European BEAT project:

a methodology for Common Criteria evaluations of biometric systems,
the BEAT platform as a tool for the characterization of biometric performance.

Attendance to the event is free for EAB members or SC37 delegates however online registration is needed http://www.eab.org/events/registration/108?ts=1450421577237.
Dec 18, 2015

The Idiap Research Institute provides an European computing e-infrastructure for Open Science

The BEAT platform is an European computing e-infrastructure for Open Science proposing a solution for open access, scientific information sharing and re-use including data and source code while protecting privacy and confidentiality.

It allows easy online access to experimentation and testing in computational science. You define what data and modules you would like to use, we make sure the system runs and provides you with a result. Data from different experiments can be easily compared and searched.

The platform also provides an attestation mechanism for your reports (scientific papers, technical documents or certifications).

Pulse
The BEAT platform
Nov 17, 2015

The fight against identity theft

A new research project will provide authentication and secure access to banking and other services over broadband and mobile networks by using biometric identifiers.

The research project Secure Access Control Over Wide Area Network (SWAN), is a project funded by The Research Council of Norway. The SWAN-project will research and develop innovative technologies and countermeasures to mitigate presentation attacks (also coined as spoofing attacks), which lead to a usable, economic, and privacy-preserving access control platform based on biometrics.

On 2nd November the Kick-Off meeting of the SWAN-project was held at Gjøvik University College. The project has 6 partners from Norway, Germany, France and Switzerland and is truly an European research project Gjøvik University College (http://nislab.no/biometrics_lab) as the coordinator of the project, is working closely with its partners University of Oslo (http://folk.uio.no/josang), Idiap Research Institute in Switzerland (http://www.idiap.ch/biometrics), Safran Morpho (http://www.morpho.com) and Zwipe (http://www.zwipe.com). The group assembles standing experience in identity and biometrics research and more particularly in mobile face and speaker recognition as well as in presentation attack detection (aka anti-spoofing). The team is supported by end users from the financial sector and the Association of German Banks.

The Password-based approach is vulnerable, and crime related to illegal access to different accounts is easier than ever because of password used as authentication factor, says Professor Christoph Busch at Gjøvik University College. The research will initially deal with banking transactions, but the goal is to extend the technology to other e-services such as e-health.

Biometric references will be stored, controlled and verified locally based on a pre-shared secret, which can be used to seal and authenticate transaction data. This overcomes the need of centralized storage of biometric data. Smartphones will act as hardware tokens to which the additional functionalities will be integrated to capture the biometric characteristics like (face, fingerprint, voice and eye). Focus of the research project will be biometric authentication to preserve privacy and adapt existing and emerging standards in the field.

Read more: http://nislab.no/biometrics_lab/swan
Nov 04, 2015

Swiss researchers from the Idiap research institute succeeded to spoof a commercial finger vein device

More information on http://www.idiap.ch
Sep 22, 2014

Can Biometrics Defeat Cyberterrorists?

At Switzerland's Idiap Research Institute, one man is on the front lines of the fight against cyberterrorism. He's an expert in biometrics. The more individual the biometric, the more difficult it is to attack.

Source: http://www.sciencechannel.com, Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman

Jun 11, 2014

Biometric vein recognition under attack

Vein recognition is a biometric that has traditionally been seen as difficult to hack or spoof, as the biometric patterns created by the vein structure in a person’s finger are hidden from view.

More information :
http://planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/2012/

Direct link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxb9xwaoeTU
Jun 03, 2014

Behind the mask of biometric security

How reliable is biometric security? Computers recognize us by our faces, voices and fingerprints, but can we trick them by pretending to be someone else? In this edition of Futuris Denis Loctier finds out just how easily this can be done.

(Source: http://www.euronews.com)

Facial recognition is sometimes used instead of passwords for secure computer access. But if an intruder uses a mask, some biometric systems can be tricked into letting him in.

Computers rely on complex algorithms to learn and recognize our faces. However, systems of biometric identification can be surprisingly easy to get around.

A European research project is studying weaknesses in biometric systems in order to make them more secure. The problem for Sébastien Marcel, researcher in biometrics, at the Idiap research institute is that “biometric systems most effective at recognising a person are also potentially the most vulnerable. Every time there is a new attack we have to develop a new counter measure. So there’s still quite a bit to do before we understand why biometric systems are vulnerable.”

Realistic masks are the latest challenge to facial recognition systems. Until recently, infiltrators used photos or videos of the targeted person’s face. Software developed by the researchers prevents such attacks.

Movement is a key element, according Nesli Erdoğmuş, a researcher in 3D face recognition at Idiap: “Firstly, there’s eye blink detection: the software can ask the user to blink at the right moment. That makes it impossible to log in by just showing a portrait of the person to the camera. Another countermeasure is motion detection: a printed face and a real face don’t move in the same way.”

Researchers are working on a further feature that would analyse skin texture. That should allow their biometric software to distinguish a real face from a realistic mask.

It seems facial recognition still needs some work, but are fingerprints more reliable?”

Fingerprint patterns are often considered a perfectly secure method of identification – but researchers at the University of Cagliari in Italy have shown that that is not always the case.

Gian Luca Marcialis, a researcher in pattern recognition at the university’s UNICA PRA laboratory says: “Recent studies have shown that it’s possible to con fingerprint systems with artificial fingers, which can be made with material easily bought in a supermarket.”

A fingerprint left on some surfaces, such as glass, can be copied and reproduced within minutes. The quick and cheap process involves making a gum fingertip and replicating the skin pattern of the original. Incredibly, many fingerprint scanners don’t see the difference.

“We can choose a fingerprint stored in the system and use its replica to get an almost perfect match,” says Marcialis.

The proposed solution is so-called ‘liveness assessment’ which, when activated, rejects the scanned fingerprint if the skin texture appears too artificial, as Marcialis explains: “our system measures two things: the pattern match score and the liveness score. So even with a very accurate fake fingerprint an impostor won’t be able to pass through security.”

Despite the successes, keeping one step ahead of the fraudsters is keeping biometrics experts on their toes.

Copyright © European Commission 2014 / euronews 2014
Mar 18, 2014

euronews filming

Filming at Idiap today for euronews

nesli

The Futuris program from euronews selected the TABULA RASA project coordinated by Idiap in Switzerland.

Filming took place already in Uni Cagliari and is taking place today at Idiap with the participation of Nesli (on the picture) from the Biometrics group at Idiap and of Pascal from KeyLemon.

The show will be on air on Monday March 17.
Mar 14, 2014

Latest work from Anil Jain ( Michigan State University ) on 3-D fingerprint phantoms improve fingerprint-matching technology

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/imaging/print-3-d-fingerprints-for-better-biometrics
Mar 11, 2014

KeyLemon Teams Up With SoftKinetic

Next-generation Face Recognition and Wide-spectrum Cameras
Deliver Unprecedented Accuracy and Security

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/imaging/print-3-d-fingerprints-for-better-biometrics

Martigny, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2014 – KeyLemon, pioneering provider of biometric ID and motion analysis technologies, today announced a new wide-spectrum facial recognition system developed with leading 3D vision provider SoftKinetic. Analyzing incoming data using both visible light and infrared cameras in parallel, this innovative technology accurately identifies faces in most lighting conditions and is highly resistant to ID spoofing attacks using photos and videos.

Although facial recognition technology has existed for years, it has always been plagued by an inability to generate reliable results when light levels are low, in the presence of strong backlight and sidelight, and when lighting levels and types change between authentication attempts. KeyLemon’s new solution virtually eliminates these problems using visible light and infrared imaging working in tandem. By combining these data streams and matching faces on 20 points of comparison, KeyLemon’s advanced face ID algorithms deliver accurate, dependable results indoors and outdoors across a range of
natural and artificial lighting conditions. The system even works reliably in low-light environments that have proved all but impossible for legacy face recognition systems.

KeyLemon’s solution also thwarts photo and video ID spoofing attempts with its dualcamera imaging technology, which intelligently evaluates input for infrared heat signatures. If this data is not present or doesn’t precisely match collected visible light data, access is denied, further protecting data and devices from would-be hackers, all without inconveniencing legitimate users.

“This technology gives users high security without headaches,” said Gilles Florey, KeyLemon co-founder and CEO. “Since our dual-camera face ID system operates continuously, in the background and without any interaction required, users forget it’s even there, protecting their data 24/7. And that’s always been a top priority for us. In our view, technology that gets out of your way is the best technology of all.”

"Secure, fast and reliable face identification is an excellent use of 3D technology and our DepthSense camera," said Eric Krzeslo, chief marketing officer at SoftKinetic. "By combining 3D and infrared (IR) data with face recognition technology, individuals and enterprises who require the highest level of security now have an excellent solution."

“The uses for this technology are nearly limitless, from consumer devices to enterprise, automotive, medical, online banking, and countless other applications,” said Mr. Florey. “We are very excited to partner with SoftKinetic in bringing this new face ID system to our customers, and we can’t wait to see how they’ll put it to work in their industries.”

About KeyLemon
KeyLemon technologies deliver affordable, drop-in facial recognition, speaker identification, and motion tracking to developers and manufacturers across a wide variety of industries and institutions. Used by millions of consumers and enterprise users worldwide, KeyLemon biometric ID and motion analysis set the industry standard for reliability, security, and ease-of-use. For more information, visit our website.

About SoftKinetic
SoftKinetic is the leading provider of end-to-end 3D vision for PCs, portable electronics, and machines. SoftKinetic’s partners include top semiconductor companies, platform manufacturers, service providers, and application developers, all actively supporting SoftKinetic in revolutionizing the machine’s understanding of the 3D world. For more information, visit SoftKinetic website.
Jan 29, 2014

PostDoc position at Idiap on Vascular Biometrics

The Idiap research institute is coordinating two major European projects in Biometrics: TABULA RASA ( http://www.tabularasa-euproject.org ) and BEAT
( http://www.beat-eu.org ). In the context of these projects, the biometrics group at Idiap ( http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel/professional/Research_Team.html ) is well-known for his work on spoofing and anti-spoofing ( http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel/professional/Publications.html#topics:Spoofing ).

Spoofing is the action of outwitting a biometric sensor by presenting a counterfeit biometric evidence of a valid user. It is a direct attack to the sensory input of a biometric system and the attacker does not need previous knowledge about the recognition algorithm. Most of the biometric modalities are not resistant to spoofing attacks: the biometric systems are usually designed to only recognize identities without concern whether the identity is live or not. Despite the existence of very sophisticated biometric systems nowadays, implementing anti-spoofing schemes for them is still in its infancy.

Idiap has explored already spoofing to visual spectra face recognition using printed photos, displayed photos/videos and 3D masks, and developed anti-spoofing methods. In the context of a new funded project, Idiap is looking to explore spoofing to vascular biometrics.

The successful candidate will be possibly working on the following topics in vascular biometrics: mobile vascular recognition, spoofing and anti-spoofing.
The research will rely on previous knowledge and software developed at Idiap and in the biometrics team (http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel/professional/Research_Team.html ).

The postdoctoral researcher will report to Dr Sébastien Marcel (http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel ), his/her responsibilities will include:
1. Research in the framework of project(s)

Carry out research as stated in the assigned project(s), follow evolution of project

Fulfill project-related assignments (evaluations, deliverables, ..) as requested

Publish results (Favour journal papers and good conferences, Favour joint publications with other IDIAP staff and/or project partners)

If required, participate in project meetings and boards

When appropriate, assume leading role as IDIAP contact point or work package leader

2. Supervision of students: Help supervise PhD students and interns in collaboration with supervisors
3. Participate in various IDIAP activities and projects as requested by supervisor(s) or IDIAP management

The postdoctoral researcher should have a strong background in statistics or applied mathematics, optimization, linear algebra, signal processing or computer vision, and machine learning.
Experience in one or several of the following areas is required: vascular biometrics, face recognition (2D or NIR) and statistical models.
The applicant should also have strong programming skills and be familiar with C/C++, various scripting languages (in particular Python) and with the Linux environment. MATLAB is not a plus.
Any applicant will undergo a series of tests including technical reading and writing in English and programming.

The starting date is immediate. The appointment is for 12 months with a possible extension.
Salary is competitive.

Apply online at:
http://www.idiap.ch/webapps/jobs/ors/applicant/position/index.php?PHP_APE_DR_9e581720b5ef40dc7af21c41bac4f4eb=%7B__TO%3D%27detail%27%3B__PK%3D%2710148%27%7D

More information at:

http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel/professional/Research_Blog/Entries/2014/1/9_PostDoc_position_in_Vascular_Biometrics.html
Jan 09, 2014

EU-FUNDED PROJECT TO TAKE BIOMETRIC SECURITY SYSTEMS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

The TABULA RASA consortium, which is supported by EU research and innovation investment, has set out to identify just how well this new software works, in particular against the growing phenomenon of “spoofing ” i.e. using everyday materials such as make-up, photographs and voice recordings to subvert or directly attack biometric systems.

Get the full version (.pdf 85KB) of the press release here:
EU-FUNDED PROJECT TO TAKE BIOMETRIC SECURITY SYSTEMS TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Brussels, 22 October 2013

Related press coverages

Proyecto Tabula Rasa: cómo luchar contra la suplantación de identidad

Nuestra seguridad está en entredicho. Los sistemas biométricos basados en el reconocimiento facial, de voz y de huellas dactilares, han experimentado un espectacular desarrollo en los últimos años, pero siguen siendo vulnerables. La lucha contra el spoofing o suplantación de identidad no acaba nunca.

The fight against biometric spoofing

A European Union-funded research group received new funding to set up standards and develop countermeasures to fend off spoofed biometric identifiers such as faked fingerprints and bogus facial recognition scans that could plague ID systems in the coming years.

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing"

Un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea (UE) y desarrollado por el consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad contra el "spoofing" o suplantación de identidad, informó hoy la Comisión Europea (CE) en un comunicado.

Verbetering biometrie dankzij investering EU (video)

Gezichts-, spraak- en vingerafdrukidentificatie is steeds meer mogelijk met moderne apparatuur zoals smartphones en tablets. Het Tabula Rasa-consortium, dat wordt gesteund met EU-investeringen, heeft onderzocht hoe ‘goed’ deze nieuwe softwaretoepassingen werken

Sistemi biometrici piu’ sicuri, il progetto “TABULA RASA” finanziato dall’UE migliora (e vende) la protezione dei dati biometrici

La fantascienza è vicina… Dal dispositivo da polso che indossava il capitano Kirk (i.e. Galaxy Gear) alla capacità di sentire le perturbazioni nella forza di Luke Skywalker, i film della nostra infanzia stanno diventando realtà

El consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad biométrica contra el Spoofing

En estos últimos años hemos visto como el software de reconocimiento facial, de voz y de huellas dactilares han dejado de ser ciencia ficción para convertirse en dispositivos asequibles de uso cotidiano, como smartphones y tabletas.

TABULA RASA consortium gets EU funding to research biometric spoofing.
The TABULA RASA consortium has just launched with EU funding, and aims to address issues of spoofing attacks on biometric systems.

TABULA RASA: EU-gefördertes Projekt schließt Sicherheitslücken.
Software zur Gesichts-, Sprach- und Fingerabdruckerkennung hat es inzwischen auf Smartphones und Tablets geschafft. Doch auch diese äußerst effizienten biometrischen Sicherheitssysteme haben Schwachstellen, die ausgenutzt werden, um Zugang zu fremden Ressourcen oder Daten zu gewinnen. Das EU-geförderte Projekt TABULA RASA hat konkrete Gegenmaßnahmen entwickelt, damit europäische Unternehmen derartige Angriffe abwehren können.

"Tabula Rasa", sistemi biometrici a prova di inganno.
Una nuova generazione di soluzioni di sicurezza allo studio del progetto finanziato dalla Ue. L'Università di Cagliari tra i partecipanti. Avviato il trasferimento dei risultati alle imprese.

Tabula Rasa, sistemi anti-spoofing con fondi Ue.
Il consorzio che vede la partecipazione dell’Università di Cagliari ha messo a punto soluzioni per proteggere smartphone e tablet da attacchi alle soluzioni di sicurezza biometrica.

EU-funded project to take biometric security systems to the next level.
The European Commission has posted a memo praising the work of one its funded research groups looking into enhancing biometric security.

Un progetto finanziato dall'UE migliora la protezione dei dati biometrici.
Tra i partner l'Università di Cagliari
Negli ultimi anni, abbiamo visto i software di riconoscimento facciale, vocale e digitale uscire dai film di fantascienza per materializzarsi in dispositivi reali e accessibili come smartphone e tablet. Il consorzio TABULA RASA – che vede la partecipazione anche dell’Università di Cagliari - grazie agli investimenti UE in ricerca e innovazione, si è impegnato a studiare l’efficacia di questi nuovi software, in particolare contro il crescente fenomeno dello “spoofing”, ossia l’impiego di pratiche di uso quotidiano, quali trucco cosmetico, fotografia e registrazione della voce, al fine di compromettere o sabotare il funzionamento dei sistemi biometrici.

EU-funded project to take biometric security systems to the next level.
Brussels, 22 October 2013 - In recent years we’ve seen face, voice and fingerprint identification software move from Sci-Fi films into real life affordable devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The TABULA RASA consortium, which is supported by EU research and innovation investment, has set out to identify just how well this new software works, in particular against the growing phenomenon of “spoofing ” i.e. using everyday materials such as make-up, photographs and voice recordings to subvert or directly attack biometric systems. 22 October 2013

Successful EU-funded project led by Idiap.
TABULA RASA, a project to take biometric security systems to the next level is a success. It has a concrete, positive benefit for two Swiss start-ups that were part of the consortia.

Des fonds européens pour parer les attaques les systèmes de reconnaissance biométrique.
En quelques années, la fiction est devenue réalité avec l’apparition dans notre vie quotidienne de logiciels de reconnaissance faciale, vocale ou par empreinte digitale, via nos Smartphones et tablettes. La généralisation grandissante de ces logiciels a vu en parallèle se multiplier des attaques de présentation (“spoofing”) visant à tromper ces systèmes, attaques bien souvent réalisées via des techniques simples et grâce à des objets de la vie courante (maquillage, photos, enregistrements vocaux). Pour parer à ces problèmes de sécurité le consortium TABULA RASA, soutenu par les fonds européens, a été créé. Il a pour but d’observer le fonctionnement de ces logiciels de reconnaissance quand ils sont soumis à une attaque et de développer des contre-mesures. (octobre 2013 par Marc Jacob)

Les système de sécurité biométriques: un pas plus loin avec un projet financé par l'UE.
Depuis quelques années, les logiciels d’identification par le visage, la voix et les empreintes digitales imaginés dans les films de science-fiction sont devenus une réalité accessible à tous dans des appareils tels que les smartphones et les tablettes. Le consortium TABULA RASA, soutenu par des fonds pour la recherche et l’innovation de l’UE, s’est donné pour mission d’analyser l’efficacité de ces nouveaux logiciels, en particulier, à l’égard du phénomène croissant d’« usurpation d’identité », ou en d’autres termes, l’utilisation d’accessoires du quotidien, comme le maquillage, les photos ou les enregistrements sonores, pour contourner ou attaquer directement les systèmes biométriques.

Neue biometrische Sicherheitssysteme.
Gesichts-, Sprach- und Fingerabdruckerkennungs-Software hat es mittlerweile auf aktuelle Smartphones und Tablets geschafft. Das TABULA RASA-Konsortium, das mit EU-Investitionsmitteln für Forschung und Innovation unterstützt wird, prüft, wie sicher biometrische Software arbeitet.

Europa- EU-funded project to take biometric security systems to the next level.
Release date- 22102013 - In recent years we've seen face, voice and fingerprint identification software move from Sci-Fi films into real life affordable devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
The TABULA RASA consortium, which is supported by EU research and innovation investment, has set out to identify just how well this new software works, in particular against the growing phenomenon of 'spoofing ' i.e. using everyday materials such as make-up, photographs and voice recordings to subvert or directly attack biometric systems. (ENP Newswire - 23 October 2013)

Új szintre emelkednek a biometrikus biztonsági megoldások.
EU által támogatott kozorcium vizsgálja a hatékonyságot
Az arc, hang és ujjlenyomat alapján történő azonosításra alkalmas szoftverek az elmúlt évek során megjelentek az okostelefonokban, táblagépekben és egyéb hétköznapi készülékekben. Az EU kutatási és innovációs forrásaiból támogatott TABULA RASA konzorcium célja volt, hogy megállapítsa, mennyire működnek hatékonyan.

Consortium verbetert biometrie dankzij EU.
Gezichts-, spraak- en vingerafdrukidentificatie is steeds meer mogelijk met moderne apparatuur zoals smartphones en tablets. Het Tabula Rasa-consortium, dat wordt gesteund met EU-investeringen, heeft onderzocht hoe ‘goed’ deze nieuwe softwaretoepassingen werken. Het consortium richt zich vooral op het groeiende fenomeen ‘spoofing’, het gebruikmaken van materialen zoals make-up, foto’s en spraakopnamen om biometrische systemen om de tuin te leiden. De Europese Unie investeerde 4,4 miljoen euro in het Tabula Rasa-project, naast een investering van 1,6 miljoen euro van het consortium, om het uitgebreide onderzoek en de bijbehorende testen uit te voeren.

Verbetering biometrie dankzij investering EU (video).
Gezichts-, spraak- en vingerafdrukidentificatie is steeds meer mogelijk met moderne apparatuur zoals smartphones en tablets. Het Tabula Rasa-consortium, dat wordt gesteund met EU-investeringen, heeft onderzocht hoe ‘goed’ deze nieuwe softwaretoepassingen werken.
Het consortium richt zich vooral op het groeiende fenomeen ‘spoofing’, het gebruikmaken van materialen zoals make-up, foto’s en spraakopnamen om biometrische systemen om de tuin te leiden. De Europese Unie investeerde 4,4 miljoen euro in het Tabula Rasa-project, naast een investering van 1,6 miljoen euro van het consortium, om het uitgebreide onderzoek en de bijbehorende testen uit te voeren.

Biometrics fix foiled by make up
EU backers still pleased.
A European Union biometrics safety research project that aims to develop improved authentication products is claiming success with its efforts but appears to have mostly highlighted how difficult it is to make such identification technology work properly.

RAČUNALNA SIGURNOST
S novcem EU-a do bolje biometrije
Međunarodni konzorcij napravio je dugačak popis mogućih spoofing napada na biometrijske sustave te razvio protumjere koje otkrivaju znakove života kao što su treptanje ili znojenje

Eξελιγμένα βιομετρικά συστήματα ασφαλείας από το πρότζεκτ Tabula Rasa
Σκοπός της κοινοπραξίας να μην μπορούν να παραπλανηθούν οι βιομετρικοί αισθητήρες.

Túl könnyen átverhetőek a biometrikus azonosító rendszerek
A jelenlegi helyzet felmérésével és új, tökéletesebb megoldások kidolgozásával bízott meg az Európai Bizottság egy nemzetközi konzorciumot.

Sécurité biométrique : la Commission européenne finance le piratage
Face à la montée des systèmes de reconnaissance biométrique pour déverrouiller nos smartphones, tablettes ou ordinateurs, TABULA RASA, qui regroupent des sociétés spécialisées dans le domaine, a organisé un concours financé par la Commission Européenne. Le but : pirater les systèmes pour identifier leurs failles et proposer des solutions.

EU investeert in verbetering van biometrische veiligheidssystemen (video)
Gezichts-, spraak en vingerafdrukidentificatie, is steeds meer mogelijk met moderne apparatuur zoals smartphones en tablets. Het Tabula Rasa consortium, dat wordt gesteund met EU-investeringen, heeft onderzocht hoe ‘goed' deze nieuwe softwaretoepassingen werken. Het consortium richt zich vooral op het groeiende fenomeen ‘Spoofing', het gebruikmaken van materialen zoals make-up, foto's en spraakopnamen om biometrische systemen om de tuin te leiden.

EU-Projekt schließt Sicherheitslücken: Biometrische Sicherheitssysteme entscheidend verbessert
Software zur Gesichts-, Sprach- und Fingerabdruckerkennung hat es inzwischen auf mobile Geräte geschafft. Doch auch diese effizienten biometrischen Sicherheitssysteme haben Schwachstellen, die ausgenutzt werden können. Das EU-geförderte Projekt "TABULA RASA" hat konkrete Gegenmaßnahmen entwickelt, damit europäische Unternehmen derartige Angriffe abwehren können.

Un concours européen de hacking pour tromper la sécurité des systèmes de reconnaissance biométrique
Faciale, vocale ou digitale, la reconnaissance biométrique envahit notre quotidien et apporte son lot de vulnérabilités. Pour parer à ces problèmes de sécurité, la Commission européenne a financé les travaux du consortium Tabula Rasa qui regroupe douze entreprises et instituts de recherche spécialisés en sécurité biométrique dont le français Morpho (groupe Safran).

Kumisormi ja naamari huijasivat biometrisiä tunnistusjärjestelmiä
Biometrisiä tunnistusjärjestelmiä kehittävän konsortio Tabula Rasa pyysi tutkijoita ympäri maailmaa keksimään keinoja järjestelmien huijaamiseksi. Moni tutkija onnistui Spoofing Challenge -haasteessa.

Un proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad biométrica contra el spoofing
En estos últimos años hemos visto como el software de reconocimiento facial, de voz y de huellas dactilares han dejado de ser ciencia ficción para convertirse en dispositivos asequibles de uso cotidiano, como smartphones y tabletas. El consorcio TABULA RASA, gracias a los fondos de investigación e innovación de la UE, ha puesto de manifiesto los fallos del software utilizado en los sistemas biométricos actuales.

https://www.google.it

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing"

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing"
Madrid/Bruselas, 23 oct (EFE).- Un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea (UE) y desarrollado por el consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad contra el "spoofing" o suplantación de identidad, informó hoy la Comisión Europea (CE) en un comunicado.

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing"
Agencia EFE
Madrid/Bruselas, 23 oct (EFE).- Un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea (UE) y desarrollado por el consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad contra el "spoofing" o suplantación de identidad, informó hoy la Comisión Europea (CE) en un comunicado.

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing" Agencia EFE
Madrid/Bruselas, 23 oct (EFE).- Un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea (UE) y desarrollado por el consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad contra el "spoofing" o suplantación de identidad, informó hoy la Comisión Europea (CE) en un comunicado.

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing"
EFE - Madrid/Bruselas
Un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea (UE) y desarrollado por el consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad contra el "spoofing" o suplantación de identidad, informó hoy la Comisión Europea (CE) en un comunicado.

Proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas contra el "spoofing"
UE SEGURIDAD | 23 de octubre de 2013
Madrid/Bruselas, 23 oct (EFE).- Un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea (UE) y desarrollado por el consorcio Tabula Rasa perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad contra el "spoofing" o suplantación de identidad, informó hoy la Comisión Europea (CE) en un comunicado.

Un proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad biométrica contra el spoofing
PUNTOS DÉBILES DE LA BIOMETRÍA
En estos últimos años hemos visto como el software de reconocimiento facial, de voz y de huellas dactilares han dejado de ser ciencia ficción para convertirse en dispositivos asequibles de uso cotidiano, como smartphones y tabletas. El consorcio TABULA RASA, gracias a los fondos de investigación e innovación de la UE, ha puesto de manifiesto los fallos del software utilizado en los sistemas biométricos actuales.

Un proyecto financiado por la UE perfecciona los sistemas de seguridad biométrica contra el “spoofing”
El consorcio Tabula Rasa ha desarrollado un conjunto de algoritmos que hacen infalibles los sistemas actuales minimizando el riesgo de posibles suplantaciones de identidad

Εξελιγμένα συστήματα ασφαλείας με το "Tabula Rasa"
Ένα νέο ερευνητικό έργο, που χρηματοδοτείται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, φιλοδοξεί να καταστήσει πιο ασφαλή και αξιόπιστα τα υφιστάμενα βιομετρικά συστήματα ασφαλείας, που δέχονται διάφορες επιθέσεις με στόχο την εξαπάτησή τους.

Onderzoekers pogen spoofing bij biometrische authenticatie te verhinderen
Onderzoekers van het deels door de EU gesubsidieerde Tabula Rasa-consortium hebben onderzoek gedaan naar nieuwe methoden om spoofing bij biometrische systemen tegen te gaan. De uitkomsten van het onderzoek zouden moeten zorgen voor banengroei in de it-sector in de EU.

vyhledávání Tabula Rasa: biometrické systémy by měly sledovat „živost“
tisková zpráva konsorcia Tabula Rasa V uplynulých letech se software na rozpoznávání obličeje, hlasu a otisků prstů přesunul z vědeckofantastických filmů do běžně dostupných zařízení, jako jsou například chytré telefony a tablety. Konsorcium TABULA RASA, které získalo podporu z fondu Evropské unie pro výzkum a inovace, zkoumá účinnost tohoto softwaru a jeho odolnost proti stále častějším útokům na jeho zabezpečení. Útočníci využívají pomůcky, jako je make-up, fotografie a hlasové nahrávky, aby obelhali či přímo napadli biometrické systémy.

Neue biometrische Sicherheitssysteme
Gesichts-, Sprach- und Fingerabdruckerkennungs-Software hat es mittlerweile auf aktuelle Smartphones und Tablets geschafft. Das TABULA RASA-Konsortium, das mit EU-Investitionsmitteln für Forschung und Innovation unterstützt wird, prüft, wie sicher biometrische Software arbeitet.
Dec 03, 2013

Apple and fingerprints

http://fingerchip.pagesperso-orange.fr/biometrics/types/fingerprint_apple
Sep 27, 2013

iPhone 5S biometrics hacking contest set

Hackers are gearing up for today's iPhone 5S release with a contest to crack the device's first-ever fingerprint scanner, a high-tech feature that Apple Inc. says makes users' data more secure.

More info : click here
Sep 20, 2013

Spoofing the fingerprint sensor on iPhone5S

Could iPhone's fingerprint sensor help kill off passwords?

Link : >http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24021072

Link : https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/09/iphone_fingerpr.html
Sep 13, 2013

The release 1.2.0 of the Bob signal-processing and machine learning toolbox is available (www.idiap.ch/software/bob)

Bob provides both efficient implementations of several machine learning algorithms as well as a framework to help researchers to publish reproducible research. It is developed by the Biometrics Group ( http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel/professional/Research_Team.html ) at Idiap in Switzerland.

The release 1.2.0 of the Bob signal-processing and machine learning toolbox is available ( www.idiap.ch/software/bob ).

Bob provides both efficient implementations of several machine learning algorithms as well as a framework to help researchers to publish reproducible research.
It is developed by the Biometrics Group ( http://www.idiap.ch/~marcel/professional/Research_Team.html ) at Idiap in Switzerland.

The previous release of Bob was providing:
* image, video and audio IO interfaces such as jpg, avi, wav ( http://www.idiap.ch/software/bob/docs/releases/last/sphinx/html/TutorialsIO.html ),
* database accessors such as FRGC, Labelled Face in the Wild, and many others ( http://www.idiap.ch/software/bob/packages/xbob/nightlies/last/sphinx/html ),
* image processing: Local Binary Patterns (LBPs), Gabor Jets, SIFT ( http://www.idiap.ch/software/bob/docs/releases/last/sphinx/html/TutorialsIP.html ),
* machines and trainers ( http://www.idiap.ch/software/bob/docs/releases/last/sphinx/html/TutorialsTrainer.html ) such as Support Vector Machines (SVMs), k-Means,
Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), Bayesian intra/extra (personal) classifier, Inter-Session Variability modeling (ISV), Joint Factor Analysis (JFA),
Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis (PLDA).

The new release of Bob has brought the following features and/or improvements, such as:
* Unified implementation of Local Binary Patterns (LBPs),
* Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) implementation,
* Total variability (i-vector) implementation,
* Conjugate gradient based-implementation for logistic regression,
* Improved multi-layer perceptrons implementation (Back-propagation can now be easily used in combination with any optimizer -- i.e L-BFGS),
* Pseudo-inverse-based method for Linear Discriminant Analysis,
* Covariance-based method for Principal Component Analysis,
* Whitening and within-class covariance normalization techniques,
* Module for object detection and keypoint localization (bob.visioner),
* Module for audio processing such as LFCC and MFCC ( http://www.idiap.ch/software/bob/docs/releases/last/sphinx/html/TutorialsAP.html ),
* Improved extensions (satellite packages), that now support both Python and C++ code, within an easy to use framework,
* Improved documentation and add new tutorials,
* Support for Intel's MKL (in addition to ATLAS),
* Extend supported platforms (Arch Linux).

This release represents a major milestone in Bob with plenty of functionality improvements (>640 commits in total: https://github.com/idiap/bob/compare/v1.1.0...v1.2.0 ) and plenty of bug fixes (https://github.com/idiap/bob/issues?page=1&state=closed ).
• Sources and Documentation: https://github.com/idiap/bob/wiki/Releases
• Binary packages (instructions: https://github.com/idiap/bob/wiki/Packages ):
• Ubuntu: 10.04, 12.04, 12.10 and 13.04
• For Mac OSX: works with 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 10.7 (Lion) and 10.8 (Mountain Lion)

For instructions on how to install pre-packaged version on Ubuntu or OSX, consult our quick installation instructions: https://github.com/idiap/bob/wiki/Packages (N.B. OS X macport has not yet been upgraded. This will be done very soon. cf. https://trac.macports.org/ticket/39831 ).
Jul 25, 2013

Bryan Cranston Secretly Cosplayed at San Diego Comic-Con … as Walter White [PHOTOS]

Actor Bryan Cranston, known for playing Walter White on the hit AMC show ‘Breaking Bad,’ decided to dress up for this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con and walk the floor in a terrifying Walter White mask. Unbeknownst to everyone

More info : http://starcrush.com/bryan-cranston-cosplayed-comic-con-walter-white/
Jul 24, 2013

Selected news related to Spoofing Attacks

Brazilian doctors use fake silicone fingers to defraud hospital punch-in clock to get overtime ...

SKY NEWS: Fake Fingers Fool Hospital Clock-in Scanner. 11:08am UK, Wednesday 13 March 2013

WASHINGTON POST: Brazilian doctors use fake silicone fingers to defraud hospital punch-in clock to get overtime. By Associated Press, Published: March 13

FOX NEWS: Brazilian doctors use fake silicone fingers to defraud hospital punch-in clock to get overtime. Published March 13, 2013Associated Press

LEADER-POST: Brazilian doctor caught using fake fingers in biometrics scam.
Mar 14, 2013

Biometrics under Spoofing Attacks!

Identity management for persons using biometrics has become a reality mainly because of the biometric passport, but also because of the presence of more and more biometric-enabled applications for personal computers such as fingerprint or face login application.
More info : http://hakin9.org/biometrics-security-hakin9-extra-digest-1112/
Oct 07, 2013

Biometrics under Spoofing Attacks! By Sébastien Marcel

More info : http://hakin9.org/biometrics-security-hakin9-extra-digest-1112/
Dec 13, 2012

Disney takes face cloning to an impressive new level

A human face has been physically cloned onto an animatronic character

More info : http://scienceillustrated.com.au/blog/science/disney-takes-face-cloning-to-an-impressive-new-level/
Aug 20, 2012

Iris attacks no surprise to iris recognition inventor

This is a classic 'hill-climbing' attack that is a known vulnerability for all biometrics

More info : http://www.planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/1189/
Jul 31, 2012

Black Hat: Iris scanners 'can be tricked' by hackers

Security researchers have discovered a way to replicate a person's eye to bypass iris-scanning security systems

More info : http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18997580
Jul 30, 2012

Face to face with the ‘human barcode’

Sure, it’s cool and easy to pay for stuff with the wave of a smartphone — but why bother when you could just use your face?

More info : http://business.financialpost.com/2012/07/25/face-to-face-with-the-human-barcode/
Jul 30, 2012

Black Hat: Hacking iris recognition systems

What if iris recognition biometric systems could be hacked?

More info : http://blogs.computerworld.com/security/20704/black-hat-hacking-iris-recognition-systems
Jul 24, 2012

Call for papers

A full day workshop at NordiCHI 2012, October 14, 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark

More info : http://trust-workshop.cure.at/
Jul 13, 2012

Article on TABULA RASA in Wired UK

Wired.co.uk is publishing an article on TABULA RASA

More info : http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-07/10/biometric-attacks
Jul 12, 2012

Fenêtre sur corps

Entre fiction et réalité, ce film fait le point sur cette numérisation corporelle, de plus en plus sophistiquée

More info : http://documentaires.france5.fr/documentaires/fenetre-sur-corps
Jul 09, 2012

Biométrie - Quand le corps devient identité

L'essor actuel de la biométrie soulève bon nombre de questions. Les nouvelles techniques se démocratisent et rendent toujours plus tranversales les possibilités d'identification des individus sur la base de leur corps et de leurs comportements : de la simple empreinte digitale, ces dispositifs se sont extrêmement complexifiés et concernent aujourd'hui beaucoup de parties de notre corps comme l'oeil, la main, le réseau veineux, mais aussi nos comportements.

More info : http://www.franceinter.fr/emission-on-verra-ca-demain-biometrie-quand-le-corps-devient-identite
Jul 09, 2012

Face Anti-spoofing in Android phones

For those still worried that Face Unlock could be spoofed using a still photo of the phone's owner, Google has a response in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean....

More info : http://phandroid.com/2012/06/29/face-unlock-gets-a-liveness-check-in-android-4-1-jelly-bean
Jul 09, 2012

What's in a face?

The What's in a Face Workshop will be held in conjunction with ECCV 2012 in Florence, Italy on October 12, 2012.

More info : https://sites.google.com/site/wiaf2012/paper-submission
Jun 27, 2012

LBP 2012: International Workshop on Computer Vision With Local Binary Patterns

The First International Workshop on Computer Vision With Local Binary Pattern Variants (LBP 2012), November 5th 2012, Daejeon, Korea, in conjunction with ACCV 2012
More info : https://sites.google.com/site/lbp2012ws/
Jun 27, 2012

ARMED RUBBERY

New generation of bank bandits sport expensive, realistic silicone masks
More info : http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/06/18/061812-news-rubber-robber-masks-1-5/
Jun 22, 2012

ICB-2013 The 6th International Conference on Biometrics June 4 - 7, 2013 Madrid, Spain

The 6th International Conference on Biometrics (ICB-2013) will have a broad scope and invites papers that advance biometric technologies, sensor design, feature extraction and matching algorithms, analysis of security and privacy, and evaluation of social impact of biometrics technology. Topics will include biometric systems based on fingerprint, iris, face, voice, hand, handwriting, gait and other modalities as well as biometric fusion and emerging biometrics based on novel sensing technologies.

More information : http://atvs.ii.uam.es/icb2013/
Jun 14, 2012

Innosecure

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG, speaking at Innosecure in Velbert (Germany) on the 24th of May at 13:45 o`clock.

More information : http://www.mesago.de/de/INS/Der_Kongress/Programm/2364__program_detail.htm
Jun 13, 2012

EuroID 2012

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG, speaking (and exhibiting) at EuroID 2012 in Berlin (Germany) on the 25th of April at 13 o`clock.

More information : http://http://www.euro-id-messe.de/index.asp?page=userforum&lang=deutsch&sid=
Jun 13, 2012

ID World Abu Dhabi

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG, speaking at the CEO Vision at ID World in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 19th of March at 16 o`clock.

More information : http://www.idworldabudhabi2012.com/fileadmin/documents/brochures/IAD12_ConfAgenda.pdf
Jun 13, 2012

CeBIT 2012

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG, speaking (and exhibiting) at CeBIT 2012 in Hannover (Germany) on the 7th of March at 13 o`clock in Hall 12.

More information : http://www.cebit.de/aussteller/biometry.com/P985424
Jun 13, 2012

GSM World Congress in Barcelona

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG attended GSM Wolrd Congress in Barcelona (Spain) as an exhibitor (hall 2.1, Stand 2.A85)

More information : http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibitor-list/biometry-1
Jun 13, 2012

The man in the latex mask

How BLACK serial armed robber disguised himself as a WHITE man to hold up betting shops

Call for Papers IEEE BIOSIG 2012

International Conference of the Biometrics Special Interest Group, Sept 06-07 2012, Darmstadt, Germany Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI)

Please find all the information at : http://www1.gi-ev.de/fachbereiche/sicherheit/fg/biosig/biosig2012/

Nowadays, biometric applications are growing rapidly and have reached different areas such as health monitoring, national ID cards, e-banking, e-commerce, etc. The European Union Visa Information System (VIS) and the Indian UIDAI System are large-scale deployed systems that validate the capabilities of todays biometric products. However deployed systems are still facing challenges towards better biometric performance, interoperability, system reliability and usability.

New modalities and innovative acquisition techniques such as efficient 3D-face reconstruction taken from a distance, multi-spectral fingerprint images, in vivo imaging are important to increase the versatility of biometrics and its area of use. Moreover biometric recognition is now used as access control schemes towards mobile phones with its embedded sensors such that many convenience applications can now be served. Both in security and convenience applications efficient fusion techniques for multimodality systems are necessary to improve performance and robustness. When biometrics is chosen to increase the security of an access control system then the security of the biometric system itself must be investigated. This includes fake resistance of sensors, biometric information protection and crypto-biometrics to enhance the privacy of data subjects and to protect biometric references. Moreover, security analysis and certification of security properties need to be developed. Beyond that critical issues such as the compliance to standards and the early assessment of sample quality with standardized metrics systems are important to guarantee successful use of biometrics in practice.

The BIOSIG 2012 conference addresses these issues and will present innovations and best practices that can be transferred into future applications. The conference is jointly organized by the Competence Center for Applied Security Technology (CAST), the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC), the TeleTrusT-Association, the Norwegian Biometrics Laboratory (NBL), the Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt (CASED) the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD, and the special interest group BIOSIG of the Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI). The conference will be technically co-sponsored by IEEE and papers will be added to IEEE Xplore.

We invite stakeholders and technical experts to submit original research papers. Industrial contributions presenting lessons learned from practical usage, case study, recent results of prototypes, are also welcomed. Submissions should be full papers (max. 12 pages) in English. Authors should upload their submission to the EasyChair platform at:
https://www.easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?conf=biosig2012
and use the GI format for which templates are available at: http://www.gi.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Autorenrichtlinien/LNI-LaTeX-Vorlage.zip (LaTeX-template)
and http://www.gi.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Autorenrichtlinien/LNI-word-vorlage-en.doc (Word-template).

Important Dates

30.05.2012 Deadline for electronic submissions (via EasyChair)
30.06.2012 Notification of authors via e-mail
31.07.2012 Deadline for final papers (ready for press)
06-07.09.2012 Conference: Talks and Presentations

May 29, 2012

SPOOFING AND ANTI-SPOOFING: THE WIDER HUMAN CONTEXT

May 10th - 11th 2012, Roma, Italy - A workshop organised in the scope of the TABULA RASA PROJECT.

Biometric technologies raise a number of ethical and legal concerns, as has been well-documented by recent European FP7 projects.

The TABULA RASA Workshop offers a wonderful opportunity to address the central ethical issues raised by biometrics, spoofing, and anti-spoofing countermeasures.This two-day workshop is organised around three main round tables:

In Biometrics We Trust?
From Biometric to Augmented Human Recognition
The Ethical and Legal Context

More information at: SPOOFING AND ANTISPOOFING: THE WIDER HUMAN CONTEXT
May 21, 2012

BOB is born

A free signal-processing and machine learning toolbox

After a bit less than 2 years of intense development, Idiap Research Institute is proud to announce the immediate availability of Bob 1.0 as an open-source project.

Bob has distant roots from Torch3vision ( http://torch3vision.idiap.ch ), a variant of Torch ( http://www.torch.ch/torch3 ), which was/is a framework for machine learning, initially developed at the Idiap Research Institute ( http://www.idiap.ch ) in Switzerland. It diverged from Torch in its infancy to become a completely independent project focused primarily on tools for biometrics, forensics, machine learning and signal processing.

You can go to the homepage at http://idiap.github.com/bob/ and fetch source code or pre-compiled binaries for various platforms. We will be pleased to hear about your success stories and problems through our mailing list. And, please, do spread the news through your circles!

About Bob
Bob is a free signal-processing and machine learning toolbox originally developed by the Biometrics group at Idiap Research Institute, Switzerland. The toolbox is written in a mix of Python and C++ and is designed to be both efficient and reduce development time.

Check-out the user guide for features, instructions and details.
Apr 19, 2012

Biometric Vulnerability Assessment Expert Group (BVAEG)

In May 2010, the Biometrics Institute formed the Biometrics Vulnerability Assessment Expert Group (BVAEG). The Group was established to raise awareness about the importance of biometric vulnerability assessments and to exchange knowledge and experiences.

Website:Website: http://www.biometricsinstitute.org/pages/biometric-vulnerability-assessment-expert-group-bvaeg.html
Mar 12, 2012

Lenovo Face Recognition robust to spoofing attacks

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 - Facial Recognition To The Test

See the Lenovo demo clip on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Fzq2aX6Xs
Jan 05, 2012

Werner Blessing at IEEE Event "AEECT 2011" in Amman (Jordan)

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG, speaking at the 2011 IEEE Jordan Conference on Applied Electrical Engineering and Computing Technologies (AEECT) in Amman (Jordan) on the 6th of December at 11 till 13 o`clock (Room C).

Find more information under: http://ewh.ieee.org/r8/jordan/AEECT2011/Program%20Booklet.pdf
Dec 02, 2011

Werner Blessing at RISE Conference in Brussels

Werner Blessing attending the RISE Final Conference of "RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN BIOMETRICS" in Brussels on the 1st and 2nd of December.

Find more information about the events of RISE under: http://www.riseproject.eu/events.9.html
Dec 02, 2011

Werner Blessing at VIST

Werner Blessing, founder of BIOMETRY.com AG, speaking at VIST in Königsbach-Stein (Germany) on 30th of November at 16:30.

Find more information under: http://www.secuteach.de/__htmlfiles/vist.htm
Dec 02, 2011

Spoofing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich face unlock

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is having lots of amazing features. One of the most highlighted feature of the Android ICS is the Face Unlock where a user can unlock the phone showing his/her face. But like anything else, it is having a negative side too and it can cause a major security risk.

Dec 02, 2011

BVAEG Oct. 21 2011 in London

Sébastien Marcel was invited to present the TABULA RASA project at the one-day by invitation-only meeting of the Biometric Vulnerability Assessment Expert Group (BVAEG) on Oct 21 2011 at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London.

The BVAEG is composed of Isabelle Moeller (Biometrics Institute), Ted Dunstone (Biometix), Geoff Poulton (GP Research), Nigel Gordon (Communications Electronic Securities Group in UK), Tony Mansfield (National Physical Laboratory in UK), Ralph Breithaupt (Federal Office for Information Security aka BSI in Germany), Raul Sanchez-Reillo (University Carlos III of Madrid - UC3M), Elaine Newton (National Institute of Standards and Technology - NIST).

This year the meeting was also attended by Prof Tsutomu Matsumoto, Prof Stephanie Schuckers and Dr Patrick Grother.
Oct 25, 2011

Biometrics 2011, Oct. 18-20 2011, London

Sebastien Marcel gave a talk on TABULA RASA at Biometrics 2011, Oct. 18-20 2011

Sebastien Marcel presented the EU FP7 project TABULA RASA at Biometrics 2011.
Oct 25, 2011

IJCB 2011 - Session chair and oral presentation

Sébastien Marcel from IDIAP chaired a session at IJCB 2011, Oct. 10-13, 2011

Sébastien Marcel chaired the session “Biometrics/Speaker/Privacy” at IJCB 2011, Oct. 10-13, 2011

He also gave a talk and presented the paper "Fast Speaker Verification on Mobile Phone data using Boosted Slice Classifiers", by Anindya Roy, Magimai Doss Mathew and Sébastien Marcel
Oct 25, 2011

IJCB 2011 paper and poster

Paper and poster presented by IDIAP, at IJCB 2011 Oct. 10-13, 2011

André Anjos (Idiap Research Institute) presented at IJCB 2011 the paper and the associated poster “Competition on Counter Measures to 2-D Facial Spoofing Attacks”, by Murali Chakka, André Anjos, Sébastien Marcel and al.

He also gave a talk and presented the paper ”Counter-Measures to Photo Attacks in Face Recognition: a public database and a baseline”, by André Anjos and Sébastien Marcel.
Oct 25, 2011

SMART EVENT, September 21-23, Nice FRANCE

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of BIOMETRY.com), was invited to give a talk at Smart Event Conference September 21-23, 2011, Nice, FRANCE.

In its 12th edition, Smart Event has become a prominent meeting place for the industry and research in three interconnected areas: digital security, e-mobility and e-ID.
More information at: http://www.smart-event.eu
Oct 20, 2011

CARTES Paris, November 15-17, 2011, Paris

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of BIOMETRY.com), was invited to give a talk at CARTES Paris Conference, November 15-17, 2011, Paris FRANCE.

CARTES & IDentification , the world leading event for digital security and smart technologies , will attract on November 15th to 17th 2011 at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre, 450 exhibitors, 20 000 visitors and 1300 congress delegates.
More information at: http://www.cartes.com
Oct 20, 2011

ID WORLD Conference, November 2-4 2011, Milan ITALY

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of BIOMETRY.com), was invited to give a talk at ID WORLD Conference, November 2-4, 2011, Milan ITALY.

The ID WORLD International Congress is the most comprehensive showcase on the evolving world of RFID, biometrics and smart card technologies, and is the only international forum that looks at the advanced auto ID industry as a whole, rather than focusing on a specific technology or vertical sector.

More information at: http://www.idworldonline.com
Oct 20, 2011

ID WORLD Conference, June 21-22 2010, 2011 Rio de Janeiro BRAZIL

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of BIOMETRY.com), was invited to give a talk on Secure Identification in the ID WORLD Conference, June 21-22 2010, 2011 Rio de Janeiro BRAZIL.

The ID WORLD Conference is the most comprehensive forum for an international audience interested in advanced automatic identification.

With a strong focus on the deployment of automatic identification technologies in emerging countries and the status of secure ID schemes in the era of global mobility, leading players in security, automatic identification, wireless and mobility will convene in Rio de Janeiro for the first time to communicate, share and exhibit their knowledge, experience and innovations. ID WORLD Rio de Janeiro is positioned to offer maximum exposure to a highly targeted audience to help further shape the future of citizen ID, security and tracking infrastructures in the South American region.
More information at: http://www.idworldriodejaneiro.com/index.php?id=2108
Jun 10, 2011

Gait biometrics still walking the walk

Research on gait biometrics at the University of Southampton has passed another landmark with the first public demonstration of the technology’s ability to withstand deliberate spooking.

In a programme shown in the Discovery Channel’s 'Planet Earth' series, Professor Mark Nixon of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science explained how his research on gait – the way we walk – has progressed over the years. The programme was filmed in the ECS Biometrics Tunnel – the only one of its kind in the world. The technology based in the Tunnel combines and processes data from 12 cameras to produce an individual 'signature' of a person’s walk that is unique and recognizable with over 90 per cent accuracy.

In the first public test of the system, Professor Nixon and two of his PhD students, John Bustard and Darko Matovski, tried to fool the software by swapping clothes, wearing hats and scarves, and even a motorcycle helmet. The technology stood up to all these tests and Professor Nixon explained how this robustness has been able to help the UK police and security services. It may even be able to detect padding underneath clothing – for example, the changed body profile and walk of a suicide bomber.

“People are unique by quite a variety of different measures,” said Professor Nixon, “and that rich diversity is fascinating.”

Watch the Discovery Channel video.

For further information contact Joyce Lewis; tel. +44(0)23 8059 5453.
Jun 06, 2011

The 1st Idiap iPhone application on the AppStore: a face recognition App

Idiap has developped FaceOnIt

FaceOnIt implements Idiap face recognition technology, with the aim to demonstrate its use on a mobile device. It allows to enroll the face of a user and to verify that the user facing the camera is the one enrolled.

FaceOnIt is the output of the project MOBIO (http://www.mobioproject.org) which developed new mobile services secured with biometrics.
Such services include accessing the device itself, Apps or private data on the device, or online services.

FaceOnIt is powered by a face recognition Software Development Kit (SDK) developed and available at the Idiap research institute in Switzerland.

More information at http://www.idiap.ch/technology-transfer/demonstrations/faceonit
Apr 14, 2011

ID World Abu Dhabi, April 3-4 2011

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of Biometry.com), was invited to give a talk at ID World Abu Dhabi, April 3-4 2011, Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.)

ID WORLD Abu Dhabi 2011, the annual EMEA summit on security, mobility and traceability and Wise Media's fourth event in the Middle East, takes place over two days in April. A focused conference program of plenary sessions, breakout seminars and workshops, as well as exclusive networking initiatives, will ensure that delegates and exhibitors received maximum value from their participation.

The leading players in security, automatic identification, wireless and mobility will convene to communicate, share and exhibit their knowledge, experience and innovations at ID WORLD Abu Dhabi. This guarantee of maximum exposure to a highly targeted audience will help further shape the future of global and regional citizen ID, security and tracking infrastructures.

More information at: http://www.idworldabudhabi.com/?2037#20723
Mar 23, 2011

Cartes Asia, March 29-31 2011, Hong Kong (CHINA)

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of Biometry.com), was invited to give a talk at Cartes Asia, March 29-31 2011, Hong Kong (CHINA)

Over the past 24 years the CARTES event in Paris has developed rapidly along with card technologies. It has become the major worldwide business event for the cards industry. It started as a purely French event, a conference about bank cards. It now has 20.000 visitors from 140 countries and covers user markets such as identification, transport, telecoms and e-government.

Supported and advised by an international steering committee consisting of industry leaders, CARTES & IDentification has always been very aware of and anticipated market developments and technological innovations.

CARTES in Asia is being organised by a team that combines the experience and expertise of organising over many years CARTES & IDentification in Paris along with colleagues and partners with detailed knowledge of the Asia Pacific market.
CARTES in Asia is an exhibition of the Comexposium Group which organises professional and consumer exhibitions in France, Canada, Asia and the Middle East.

CeBIT, March 1-5 2011, Hannover (GERMANY)

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of Biometry.com), was invited to give a talk at CeBIT, March 1-5 2011, Hannover (GERMANY)

CeBIT is the digital industry's biggest, most international event. Thanks to its unique combination of exhibition, conferences, keynotes, corporate events and lounges, CeBIT represents an unrivaled tool for doing business and sealing deals.

More than 4,200 companies from over 70 countries participated at CeBIT 2011, including many firms which returned after a break of several years, such as Xerox, Canon, Epson, Siemens Enterprise Communications, HP and Motorola.

More information at: http://www.mittelstandswiki.de/Event:CeBIT_Security_Plaza_2011,_Referenten
Mar 23, 2011

Open Position at Idiap Research Institute

PhD position on anti-spoofing in face recognition
The Idiap Research Institute (http://www.idiap.ch) seeks qualified candidates for one PhD student position in the field of pattern recognition and machine learning applied to multi-modal biometrics and more precisely to face and speaker recognition.

The research will be conducted in the framework of the FP7 European project TABULA RASA (http://www.tabularasa-euproject.org) on direct (spoofing) attacks of multi-modal biometric authentication systems.
Mar 17, 2011

Fingerprint Liveness Detection Competition 2011 (LivDet 2011)

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Clarkson University (USA) in cooperation with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the University of Cagliari (Italy) is proud to announce the second edition of the Fingerprint Liveness Detection Competition 2011 (LivDet 2011), which will be held in the context of International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB 11).

A known vulnerability in fingerprint biometric systems is the use of materials with a physical representation of a fingerprint (fake fingers) to pose as another individual or to evade detection. Liveness detection is the use of additional hardware and/or software modules within a biometric system in order to certify the authenticity of the submitted fingerprints. The purpose of LivDet 2011 is to assess the state-of-the-art development in liveness detection.

LivDet 2011 is open to all academic and industrial institutions which have a solution for fingerprint liveness detection. Each participant is invited to submit: (1) a liveness detection software algorithm and/or (2) a hardware/software system. For software submissions, the performance will be evaluated by utilizing a sequestered dataset of "fake" and "live" fingerprint images. For system submissions, the team will evaluate the system utilizing a set of live subjects and spoof samples.

Reference Web site: http://people.clarkson.edu/projects/biosal/fingerprint/index.php

Web site of First Ed. of Fingerprint Liveness Detection Competition (LivDet09): http://prag.diee.unica.it/LivDet09
Feb 28, 2011

Cornell University scientists use 3D printer to engineer human ear made of silicone

Researchers at Cornell University have used 3D printing technology to engineer a human ear out of silicone.

Click here for more information.
Feb 28, 2011

Open Position at the PRA group of the University of Cagliari, Italy

Open Position at the PRA group (http://prag.diee.unica.it) of the University of Cagliari, Italy

The successful candidate will do basic research within the following two research lines of the PRA group: i)adaptive biometric recognition systems that can improve with use by exploiting unlabeled data collected during the system operation; ii)adversarial learning in biometric recognition. The research activity will require the design of novel semi/un supervised machine learning algorithms tailored to biometric recognition (e.g., semi/un supervised template update algorithms for face, fingerprint and multi-modal systems), and the development of biometric recognition algorithms that are robust against spoofing attacks (namely, algorithms whose performances degrade gracefully under attack). The two research lines are linked each other because an adaptive biometric system that has learning capabilities can be mis-trained by a malicious user. The problem arises from the fact that many learning approaches are overly reliant on naive assumptions about their environment that an adversary can easily exploit. These two research activities will be carried out within the project "Adaptive Biometric Systems" funded by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy), and within the TABULA RASA project (http://www.tabularasa-euproject.org/) funded by the European Union.
Jan 20, 2011

Mobile Monday 2010

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of Biometry.com), was invited to give a talk at the event Mobile Monday in Riga, Estonia, December 8, 2010

Mobile Mondays facilitate networking between small and large companies, and also between local and foreign talent. During the monthly events, attendees present innovative visions, trends, studies and forecasts from the mobile marketplace. Mobile Mondays also provide an opportunity to contribute to the education of the broader public through its publications, online presence and media partnerships.

The Tabula Rasa project has been mentioned in slides 18 and 19. The presentation of Werner Blessing is available here.
Jan 20, 2011

Thats My Face.com

Upload your photo in 2D and see yourself in 3D

ThatsMyFace.com is run by Featuro and was founded by a PhD from University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory. ThatsMyFace.com specializes in patent-pending technologies around facial reconstruction, facial analysis and in transforming 2D portraiture into 3D sculptures. We offer free online facial reconstruction and analysis, with the opportunity to subsequently purchase personalized lifelike sculptures of a person’s face.
Jan 20, 2011

News from the New York Time

Man Started Flight Elderly and White, and Ended It Young and Asian

November 5, 2010, 6:56 pm

Air security professionals, and immigration officials, are puzzling over the possible implications of an intelligence alert issued by Canada’s Border Services Agency this week about a man who boarded a flight to Vancouver in Hong Kong disguised as an elderly white man and then removed a head and neck mask during the flight to reveal that he was, in fact, young and Asian. Read more...
Jan 20, 2011

TABULA RASA at IJCB 11

TABULA RASA is organizing a contest for the next International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB 11)

The TABULA RASA consortium is organizing a contest for the next International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB 11) to be held in Washington DC (USA), from October 11th to October 13th, 2011.

This contest will focus on measuring the performance of algorithms that act as a counter-measure to spoofing.

More information about this event…
Jan 20, 2011

ID WORLD 2010

A partner of TABULA RASA, Werner Blessing (Chairman & CEO of Biometry.com), was invited to give a talk on Secure Identification in the ID WORLD Conference, November 16-18 2010, 20090 Assago (Milan) ITALY

The ID WORLD Conference is the most comprehensive forum for an international audience interested in advanced automatic identification.

Taking advantage of the 4 lecture halls with more than 600 seats available, the ID WORLD 2010 program features conferences focusing on automatic identification in a variety of sectors. The ID WORLD Conference has become known as the auto ID industry’s "number one" knowledge-sharing event.

More than 150 internationally renowned experts and key players in the auto ID industry address the most relevant issues in the field of security, logistics and supply chain, informing a highly qualified audience on the evolution of the core technologies upon which future auto ID systems will be built.

More information at: http://www.idworldonline.com/index.php?id=wernerblessing
Mar 23, 2011