Security and Privacy in E-Passport scheme using Authentication Protocols and Multiple Biometrics Technology

Abstract

Electronic passports (e-Passports) have known a wide and fast deployment all around the world since the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) the world has adopted standards whereby passports can store biometric identifiers. The purpose of biometric passports is to prevent the illegal entry of traveler into a specific country and limit the use of counterfeit documents by more accurate identification of an individual. The e-passport, as it is sometimes called, represents a bold initiative in the deployment of two new technologies: Cryptography security and multiple biometrics (face, fingerprints, palm prints and iris). A passport contains the important personal information of holder such as photo, name, date of birth and place, nationality, date of issue, date of expiry, authority and so on.  The goal of the adoption of the electronic passport is not only to expedite processing at border crossings, but also to increase security. Important in their own right, e-passports are also the harbinger of a wave of next-generation e-passport: several national governments plan to deploy e-passport integrating cryptography algorithm and multiple biometrics. The paper consider only those passport scenarios whose passport protocols base on public-key cryptography, certificates, and a public key infrastructure without addressing the protocols itself detailed, but this is no strong constraint. Furthermore assume the potential passport applier to use ordinary PCs with Windows or Linux software and an arbitrary connection to the Internet. Technological securities issues are to be found in several dimension, but below paper focus on hardware, software, and infrastructure as some of the most critical issues.