New biometric authentication standard from ISO

The new standard, ISO 19092:2008, Financial Services – Biometrics – Security Framework, establishes the security requirements for the implementation and management of biometric identification technology within the financial industry.

The ISO notes that with trillions of dollars transferred electronically every day the sector needs ironclad authentication technologies, and there is increasing interest in using biometrics.

“ISO 19092 offers a valuable international consensus-based tool to the financial industry that will encourage the secure implementation of biometrics as an authentication method within this sector. This standard is one step ahead, paving the way for the next generation of safer and more reliable financial transactions, increasingly important in today’s electronic era,” commented Mr. Mark Lundin, chair of the ISO subcommittee who developed the standard.

The new standard presents the architectures for implementation, specifies the minimum security requirements for effective management, and provides control objectives and recommendations suitable for use by a professional practitioner. It promotes the integration of biometrics into the financial industry and the management of biometric information as part of the overall information security management programme of the organization.

ISO 19092:2008 also addresses the following topics

• usage of biometrics for the authentication of employees and persons seeking financial services by: verification of a claimed identity and identification of an individual
• validation of credentials presented at enrolment to support authentication as required by risk management
• management of biometric information across its life cycle comprised of the enrolment, transmission and storage, verification, identification and termination processes
• security of biometric information during its life cycle, encompassing data integrity, origin authentication and confidentiality
• application of biometrics for logical and physical access control
• surveillance to protect the financial institution and its customers
• security of the physical hardware used throughout the biometric information life cycle.

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