Secure methods for fuzzy key binding in biometric authentication applications

Biometric methods are increasingly being utilized for security applications. A major challenge is that the physiological signals involved typically have a high degree of noise. This characteristic negates conventional cryptographic solutions. Therefore, alternative authentication methods based on fuzzy commitment and multibit quantization index modulation are considered. Using the electrocardiogram biometric as a case study, it is shown that these methods offer the flexibility of designing security constraints in a statistical manner. By providing the means to balance the trade-off between system robustness and security, this flexibility facilitates the application of biometric security in a wider range of scenarios.