Biometrics vs. biostatistics

To continue reading for free, register below or login

Requires Membership to View

To gain access to this and all member only content, please provide the following information (all fields required):

First Name:
Last Name:
Country: Select... Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia, The Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Man, Isle of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Email Address:

I would like to receive a FREE subscription to Information Security magazine online.
YesNo

Do you manage, evaluate, recommend, implement, support or purchase security products, software or services?
YesNo

Please estimate the yearly security budget for your entire organization including all security products and services.
Please select... Over $10 Million $5 Million-$10 Million $1 Million-$4.9 Million $500,000-$999,999 $100,000-$499,999 $50,000-$99,999 $25,000-$49,999 $10,000-$24,999 Less than $10,000 None

What is your role in purchasing IT related products and services? (Check all that apply)
Technical decision maker
Financial decision maker
Recommend/Specify
Evaluate products
Implement Products/Services
Determine Needs
Create Security Strategy
None

By joining SearchSecurity.com you agree to receive email updates from the TechTarget network of sites, including updates on new content, magazine or event notifications, new site launches and market research surveys. Please verify all information and selections above. You may unsubscribe at any time from one or more of the services you have selected by editing your profile or unsubscribing via email.

TechTarget cares about your privacy. Read our Privacy Policy

BROWSE BY TAG Identity Management and Access Control,   Enterprise Identity and Access Management,   User Authentication Services,   Biometric Technology,   Expert Archive: Identity Management and Access Control,   VIEW ALL TAGS

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Identity Management and Access Control Learn about enterprise strategy for server virtualization single sign-on Employee information security awareness training for new IAM systems Can you combine RFID tag technology with GPS to track stolen goods? Is there a free enterprise-caliber password-management tool? Cryptosystem attacks that do not involve obtaining the decryption key Can any firm or organization get a digital signature certificate? Should the CTO have domain administrator access? Does password sharing in international branches violate SOX? What are best practices for secure password distribution after a data breach? Is it possible to encrypt CDs and DVDs as well as SD cards? Biometric Technology Biometrics project studies ways to combat bank fraud Apple iPhone app could boost two-factor Vein-reading biometrics popping up in health care, financials Exploring authentication methods: How to develop secure systems Pre-boot biometric user authentication tools and strategies To what exactly would a request for biometric data from an insurance provider pertain? Keystroke recognition aids online authentication at credit union What are the possible benefits of microchip implants and RFID tags for employees? How are biometric signatures more than a fingerprint scanner? What precautions should be taken if biometric data is compromised? Biometric Technology Research Expert Archive: Identity Management and Access Control Enterprise password management policy: Finding the balance How to conduct a periodic user access review for account privileges Options for a mechanical door security system on a server room door Comparing access control mechanisms and identity management techniques User provisioning and SSO for PeopleSoft- and Unix-based products Could someone place a rootkit on an internal network through a router? Should a new user have to confirm an email address to gain access? Can home PCs provide a way for viruses and spyware to enter a corporate LAN? What should an enterprise look for in a password token and a vendor? Using batch files for temporary user access to the local admin group

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary biometric payment  (SearchSecurity.com) electro-optical fingerprint recognition  (SearchSecurity.com) false acceptance  (SearchSecurity.com) finger vein ID  (SearchSecurity.com) fingernail storage  (SearchSecurity.com) keystroke dynamics  (SearchSecurity.com) live capture  (SearchSecurity.com) multifactor authentication (MFA)  (SearchSecurity.com) password hardening  (SearchSecurity.com) ridge  (SearchSecurity.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

Though biometrics and biostatistics sound like the same thing, they actually are from two different fields. Biometrics is an IT security term, and biostatistics is a term used in the field of biology.

The confusion might be from the use of the word "biometry," which sounds similar to biometrics, interchangeably with biostatistics. But biostatistics, again, also called biometry, is the application of statistics to biology, particularly in the fields of medicine and agriculture.

Further adding to the confusion, biometry used to be called biometrics during the early 20th century and is still called so even now from time to time, particularly by the International Biometric Society, a trade group promoting biostatistics.

That confusion aside, biometrics – as commonly known in the IT security field – is a type of authentication system. Biometrics uses the physical characteristics of an individual, such as their fingerprint, iris, face or voice pattern, to authenticate to a computer system.

Biometrics is one of the three factors of authentication. The three factors are something you know, something you have or something you are. Something you know would be something the user memorizes like a user ID or password. Something you have would be a card or device with authentication credentials that the user carries, like a smart card or one-time password (OTP) token. Biometrics is the third factor, something you are, such as the physical characteristics just mentioned.

The three factors can be used individually, in what is called a single-factor system, or combined in what would be called multifactor authentication. The idea behind multifactor authentication is that it's a multi-layered defense. If a malicious user breaks one factor, they'd still have to break the second or third to gain access.

For more information: