Enhancing Cybersecurity, Accessibility and Equity Through Inclusive Biometric Authentication
Researchers aim to build an inclusive cyber system using biometric authentication derived from the cardiovascular system, which will ensure that security systems are accessible and fair to everyone, irrespective of skin tone, gender, age, or physical ability. Cardiac biometrics depend on internal characteristics rather than external appearance.
Funded by the CCI Hub
Project Investigators
- Principal Investigator (PI): Abhijit Sarkar, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
- Co-PI: Lynn Abbott, Virginia Tech Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rationale and Background
The future of digital access control is biometrics. We use devices to operate electronic devices (phones, laptops) and board trains and planes. Current common biometric methods, such as fingerprint and facial recognition technology, have issues with accessibility, diversity, fairness, bias, and security, because these methods are highly biased towards caucasians and have produced erroneous results for other races.
Methodology
Researchers will test the effectiveness of remote cardiac biometric systems that capture vital physiological signals from a distance, minimizing the need for physical interaction. Systems will also be tested for accessibility.
Researchers will also collect specific information for people with darker skin tones and older adults with visible wrinkles.
Stakeholders from industry, government (local included), and academia will be consulted, and data collection will follow Virginia Tech’s Institutional Review Board protocol.
Projected Outcomes
The team will disseminate findings through presentations and publications, as well as conducting tutorials on remote measurement at Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) conferences, and these materials will be included in the tutorials.
Researchers are also developing a mobile application that can be released as a prototype.