U.are.U 4000 Sensor

digitalPersona

URU4S-U1

• U.are.U Sensor
• Welcome and Installation Sheet
• U.are.U Personal Guide
• Software CD

Plug the device into the computer's USB port only after software installation, and after logging on to the windows account with your usual password. Otherwise, the computer would recognize the sensor as a new device and automatically search for the driver on the installation CD.

Optical Sensor

• Pixel Resolution: 512 dpi (average x,y over the field), 8-bit grayscale
• Image Capture Area: 14.6 mm (nominal width at center), 18.1 mm (nominal length)
• Sensor Size: approximately 79 mm x 49 mm x 19 mm

Rotation Invariant:
No matter how you place your finger on the sensor it will verify the fingerprint.

Challenge Response Link:
It is not possible for an external device to mimic the image (in a deceptive way), as if it is coming from the UareU fingerprint sensor. The sensor establishes a challenge and response link with the PC prior to sending the image, in order to prevent playback attacks.
Works well with dry, moist or rough fingerprints.

• To clean the sensor apply the sticky side of a piece of adhesive cellophane tape on the window and peel it away.
• Do not pour the glass cleaner directly on the sensor window
• Do not use alcohol-based cleaners
• Never submerge the sensor in liquid
• Never rub the window with an abrasive material, including paper
• Do not poke the window coating with your fingernail or any item, such as a pen
• Avoid extreme temperature, operation temperature is: 5 - 35 C
• Avoid extreme humidity, operating humidity is: 20% - 90% non-condensing

U.are.U Personal Fingerprint Recognition System Version 2.0

Software

• Windows XP Home/XP Professional Edition/98/ME
• Microsoft IE 5.5 or later

HardWare

• Intel Pentium processor (or compatible)
• 64 MB of RAM
• 30 MB of free hard disk space

Before installation, the user must have administrative privileges on the local machine. If the OS is Windows 98 or ME, to maintain security of the system the administrator must make sure that the option to "cancel" the login screen is disabled. To install the software, the user has to insert the CD and follow the instructions in the wizard, and the software installation finishes with a PC reboot. During the first login, the user should enter his/her usual user name and password. After the user is granted access to his/her account, the user should plug in the U.are.U sensor into the computer's USB port. Please note that there will not be screen prompt or wizard to take the user through the hardware installation. Once the sensor is connected a small sensor icon would show up in the launch panel, and the user can choose from that drop down menu to enroll his/her fingers. All users and administrators can register all 10 fingers.

Number of Templates
During the enrollment process, 4 fingerprint templates are created.
Creation of Template
A fingerprint template is created by extracting the unique features of a fingerprint image and then processing it into a mathematical summary that prevents reverse engineering. With the U.are.U software, a global pattern extraction is performed, rather than the other method of minutia location. The patterns of a fingerprint can be divided into three major groups: arch, loop and whorl, and each can be subdivided. The specific method of calculation is undisclosed.
Authentication Process
When a finger is presented to the sensor, the features of the claimant fingerprint is compared against an enrolled fingerprint template. If the two fingers are deemed "similar" enough then the user is granted access to the computer.

Several problems are encountered during enrollment:

Affordance for Different Fingers
The affordance for placing each finger on the sensor is different. The sensor shape is clearly designed for the index finger. All the fingers other than the indexes have to be twisted at an awkward angle in order to produce a satisfactory image. It is extremely uncomfortable and difficult to enroll the ring and the pinky on both hands. The photographs below illustrate this situation.


Fingerprints Left on Sensor Window
Fingerprints tend to be left on the sensor window. This presents at least 2 problems. First this adds to noise to the images. Secondly, this means that this fingerprint can be "harvested" by others, and presents a security risk. This is an optical sensor, and thus does not measure the pressure and temperature of the finger, therefore an image forgery is possible.

Enrollment Wizard
The enrollment wizard of this program is well designed with instant visual feedback. All the registered fingers are highlighted, and the software encourages the user to register more than one finger. Below is a screen capture of the enrollment wizard.

General GUI The One Touch Menu provides access to the features, settings, and help in the software. In order for the menu to appear on the computer the screen, the user has to touch the sensor with a registered finger. Replace Passwords allows the user to create and edit logon profiles for password-protected web sites and applications. Quick Links displays the profiles for all the profiles that have been created for web sites. Encrypt Files launches a dialog box that allows the user to select a file and use the One Touch Crypto feature. Help launches online help. Cool Stuff directs the user to the digitalPersona website, and Properties allows the user to customize the software application. When the One Touch Menu is inactive for more than 1 minute (from the tester's observation), the menu disappears. To re-activate the menu, a registered finger has to be presented to be sensor again.

• Login Control
  Once registered, users can login using their fingerprint or the traditional username and password combination. The user does not have the choice to use both, or just password login.

  It is probably better to give the user the flexibility of using both username/password and fingerprint, but considering that this software is a solution for small business and home use the option of using either fingerprint or password is a quick and convenient solution. For more security, administrators could retain the traditional password assigned to an account to the users must use the biometric device to login.

• Password-Protected Screen Savers
  This feature is available and is called One Touch Unlock. To activate this feature, the user has to choose "One Touch Unlock" as the screen saver in the display settings. (This option is automatically added to the list of screen saver options that the user has under Display -> Properties ->Screen Saver). Once the screen saver is active, all the user has to do is to touch the sensor with a registered finger in order to regain access. The user does not need to press Cltr+Alt+Del to reactivate the sensor. If the user tries to reactive the screen by pressing on the keyboard, or clicking the mouse or present an unregistered finger, an animation with a finger touching a sensor appears to prompt the user for a registered finger.

  This is a very user friendly feature. The fact that the user does not have to press a hot key combination in order to reactive the sensor is very convenient for everyday use.

• File Encryption
  This feature is available, and it is called One Touch Crypto. This feature allows the user to encrypt or decrypt a file (but not a folder) with their registered finger as a password. The user browses for a file then choose the encrypt file option from the One Touch Menu. A wizard then takes the user through the procedure and a lock appears on the document icon. When a different user logs on, he/she would be able to see the file, but cannot open it without the valid fingerprint. However, even if the registered finger is presented when different user is logged on, the file would not decrypt. Therefore, in order to gain access of an encrypted file, a user has to log on to his/her own account and then decrypt the field with a registered finger.

  The lock that appears on the file shows a good use of metaphors. The double security design is good, because it only make sense if the encrypted file is more highly secured than the rest of the information in a user account.

• Single Sign On
  
  There is a single sign-on feature that is available, and it is called One Touch Internet. One Touch Internet creates a logon profile to each website or application that the user wants to use fingerprints to substitute for passwords. To create a profile, the user must open the web page or the application page. The user can create a profile by clicking on the Replace Password button on the menu, and then follow the steps in the wizard. Basically, the user has to type the credentials (as shown in the screen capture below), and then drag that text into the appropriate box on the web page (or application page). Once that is done, that line of text is saved in the credential data section. Once a profile is created, it contains all the necessary credentials that a user needs to loginn, and it automatically submits these credentials when required.

  

• Customization
  From the Properties section of the "One Touch Menu", the user can choose the form of sensor feedback. When the sound feedback is enabled, the computer plays a tone when the sensor acquires an image of the presented finger to indicate that the user can lift his/her finger from the sensor. When the visual feedback is enabled, the computer screen displays a series of circles that quickly expand from the center of the screen outward. Both forms of feedback can be be active at the same time. The user can also enable animation for authentication. When the image is accepted an animation of a check mark over a sensor is displayed. When the image is rejected an animation of a cross over a sensor is displayed.

  It is an advantage to have more than one form of feedback because the user may not have speakers available for the sound feedback, or the user may be physically challenged. Animations are often a good form of feedback: An animation of a finger pressing on a sensor with a cross on top of it says a lot more to a user than an error message box with a random number in it.

• Training
  There is no specific user training component in this system.