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Palm vein identification

Growing customer fears over the security of banking services and the increase of phishing attacks, card cloning and PIN number theft, are leading to a demand for biometric identification security, according to research commissioned by Fujitsu.

Fujitsu director of commercial sales, Alexander Stamp, says as fears increase, customers want banks to use technology to ensure services offered are secure. Research done by Fujitsu in the UK shows that one in three citizens would like banks to introduce biometric security to help combat card fraud.

He says advanced technologies are already being used to reduce card fraud in Japan where trials are being conducted on biometric ATMs. One such ATM works using a proprietary Fujitsu algorithm, which creates a pattern of the blood vessels in your palm, known as palm vein authentication. This is compiled using an infrared scan and checked against patterns stored in the system or on the user's card and experts say it is superior to finger vein authentication.

"Palm vein patterns are hard to fake or copy because they are situated under the skin, and can also be read without contact, solving the hygiene concerns many people have about fingerprint readers," says Stamp.

Currently, Fujitsu's palm vein devices are being used all across Japan, with 1800 devices shipped for use in bank ATMs, 2700 for use in sales locations and 330 in access management offices.

The research also found that 29% of people are put off using online banking services due to security concerns. This should be a concern for banks looking to develop multichannel banking services.

"Banks need to draw on the experience of other financial institutions around the world if card fraud is to be reduced," says Stamp.

Currently, Fujitsu's palm vein system has been particularly popular among financial institutions. There are four reasons for this:

Firstly, says Stamp, Fujitsu has a track record of use in banks' cashier related work. Fujitsu has shipped about 4000 devices for eight customers throughout Japan.

Secondly, ease of use. Unlike the finger vein system, palm vein authentication does not require direct contact with the sensor device. A contactless system is more hygienic, and therefore users have less hesitation to use it. In addition, the system still authenticates effectively even in cold temperatures, or when the user's hand is injured. Even in cases where the user bends their fingers, the palm is still relatively flat and can be read easily by the sensor when the hand is passed over it.

The third and most important reason is security. Regardless of whether the system is large or small, the most important aspect is security and how well it prevents forgery or falsification. In this respect, vein patterns are internal to the body, and therefore extremely difficult to steal. This is its greatest merit.

In addition to maintaining an even higher level of security, an individual's vein data can be stored on a smartcard. The data is processed by the CPU on the smartcard itself, allowing the authentication process to take place without the highly personal palm vein data ever having to leave the confines of the smartcard.

The fourth reason is that the palm vein system analyses a large amount of data. Forgery is very difficult, so it is easy to maintain a high level of security. Moreover, in the future, there is ample room for further expansion in the amount of data used for authentication.

Hospitals, schools, apartment complexes and government agencies have already installed the systems. The hygienic nature of the contactless system is a feature that appeals to hospitals and hotels. The system's high level of security lends itself to use in official residency cards. Its ease of use will probably lead to further adoption in room access and school attendance management systems.

In hospitals the system is being used in data management as a log-in device to access electronic medical records as well as a room access management system for operating rooms and pharmacy storage rooms. The University of Tokyo Hospital, for instance, has adopted the system for room access control in its information systems department. In schools there has been a movement to have students use smart cards for their school ID cards.

The system is also now being used in entranceways to apartment complexes as well as in homes. A wide range of people now use it, from children to the elderly.

"We also see potential in room access management for resort hotels or other types of business in the amusement sector. The system could be used as a key to a locker in fitness clubs, or to manage data. Authentication can be done without a problem even at swimming pool facilities, whereas fingerprint methods are impractical due to the swelling of an individuals fingers after a lot of time in the water," says Stamp.

"For high-accuracy authentication technology, palms have a huge advantage over finger authentication in that they carry 300 times more information. As we know from the case of counterfeit currency, the counterfeiters continue to become more sophisticated. But the more underlying data there is, the more accurate the authentication," says Stamp.

Recently, mobile phones have started to be used as prepaid debit cards. In other words, electronic money is stored in the phone. This makes it all the more important to verify the identity of the holder. In comparing palm-based authentication with a finger-based approach, it should be noted that fingers are more susceptible to injury.

A doctor has also pointed out that some illnesses may make fingers unsuitable for biometric authentication. For example, Reynaud's disease, which leaves the fingertips extremely sensitive to cold, diseases that curl the fingers, and a number of other illnesses could negatively affect finger authentication.

The palm, as has already been mentioned, carries 300 times more information, which promises much better security. Overall, the narrowness of the finger means that it can only contain a few veins, in contrast to the many in the palm. A finger can easily be misaligned relative to a sensor, but the width of the palm makes its position and angle much easier to detect.

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