iGuard System Overview - How Secure is the iGuard?

The security and simplicity of the iGuard system is measuring unique characteristics that are very difficult to lose, forget or duplicate. Fingerprint biometrics utilized by the iGuard system can help securely reduce the problems associated with forgotten passwords, insecure password usage, and stolen, lost or forgotten keys, cards, tokens and other physical credentials.

By utilizing fingerprints that stay with you wherever you go and that are generally readily available, fingerprint biometrics can help make it more convenient for you to access protected facilities or resources, while maintaining a secure and reliable method of authentication.

The VERIFICATION system used by the iGuard IP Security Appliance both quantitatively and qualitatively improves the reliability and security of the system by using a dual-factor authentication system which requires:

  1. Statement of User Identity and
  2. Biometric Profile or PIN.

About iGuard Systems with SecuGen Fingerprint Technology (LM520-FOSC)

image_1.jpgBasic functions for the iGuard fingerprint biometric enrollment and matching system include fingerprint imaging, extraction and matching. iGuard systems incorporating SecuGen optical fingerprint sensors provide both hardware and software components for these functions as well as additional features and tools.

Fingerprint Imaging:

A user must first enroll his or her fingerprint and will be prompted to scan two fingers with the SecuGen fingerprint reader on the iGuard IP Security Appliance. The reader captures fingerprint images and sends them to the iGuards memory (and to the slave units) for processing based upon user privileges and profiles.
Fingerprint Extraction:

iGuard's fingerprint template extraction algorithm (or "template generator") analyzes and extracts minutiae points from the images and converts the minutiae data into a unique mathematical template known as a Fingerprint Information Record (FIR), which is comparable to a 60 digit upper/lowercase alpha/numeric password. This unique template is then encrypted for security and stored with other identifying information about the user including the smart card ID, PIN code and user ID

No actual image of the fingerprint is ever stored on the iGuard IP Security Appliance or smart card and can ever be extracted from the FIR template.

Fingerprint Matching for Verification (Standard Secure iGuard Mode):

The enrolled user states his or her identity (for example, by entering a user ID or swiping an assigned iGuard Smart Card) on the iGuard IP Security Appliance and places the enrolled finger on the reader. A fingerprint image is captured, and minutiae data is extracted from the fingerprint and converted into an FIR template. iGuard's one-to-one (1:1) matching algorithm compares this template to the user's enrolled template in the iGuard or on the Smart Card. If the templates match, the user's identity is authenticated.

If the user is Verified, the green light on the iGuard will flash and the user will see "AUTHENTICATED" on the iGuard screen. Failure of the Verification will flash the red lights on the iGuard and the user will see "UNAUTHORIZED" on the iGuard screen.
Fingerprint Matching for Identification (AutoMatch - MAX 100 Users):

buy-now_2_blue1_s.gifIn a more convenient, but less "secure" method of operation, the enrolled user places the enrolled finger on the iGuard IP Security Appliance fingerprint reader without stating his or her identity (for example, by not entering any user ID). A fingerprint is captured, and minutiae data is extracted from the fingerprint and converted into a template. iGuard's one-to-few (1:N) matching algorithm compares this template with all the templates enrolled in the database.

If the user is Verified, the green light on the iGuard will flash and the user will see "AUTHENTICATED" on the iGuard screen. Failure of the Verification will flash the red lights on the iGuard and the user will see "UNAUTHORIZED" on the iGuard screen.