Securing Biometric Data

This paper discusses the application of distributed source coding techniques to biometric security. A Slepian-Wolf coding system is used to provide a secure means of storing biometric data that provides robust biometric authentication for genuine users and guards against attacks from imposters. A formal quantification of the trade off between security and robustness is provided as a function of the Slepian-Wolf coding rate. Prototype secure biometric designs are presented for both iris and fingerprint modalities