Security Issues in Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems

Abstract

Automated electronic identification systems have been implemented in many sectors to provide identification and secure access. Although the widely accepted Automatic Fingerprint Identification systems (AFIS) have many potential applications in recent years, many published articles, reports and media news indicate that these systems are not fully secured and vulnerable to attacks at different levels. One of the most popular tests that have been carried out to spoof these systems was submission of fake fingertips or artificial fingers to the sensor. In many cases, these attacks have been successful. This paper discusses security issues with AFIS at various system levels. Furthermore, proposed solutions in literature and research articles have also been reviewed