Tattoo recognition contest, HID unveil PC inlays
07 August, 2015
category: Biometrics, Corporate, Digital ID, Financial, Government, NFC, Smart Cards
MorphoTrack excels in tattoo recognition contest
MorphoTrak announced that its tattoo recognition algorithm placed first in the Tattoo Recognition Technology – Challenge (Tatt-C) evaluation conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Each trial examined an aspect of performance for an automated tattoo recognition solution. In the identification trials, the MorphoTrak algorithm successfully found different instances of the same tattoo on the same subject, collected over time. MorphoTrak also did well at finding a small region of interest within a larger tattoo, as well as determining whether an image contained a tattoo.
Tattoo images have traditionally been regarded as a soft biometric — that is, visual information that can be used to narrow down the range of candidates for identification and investigation, but cannot be used to explicitly identify an individual.
Law enforcement organizations have been collecting tattoo images as long as they have been collecting mugshots, and while mugshots can now be submitted for automated searches using face recognition algorithms, tattoos are still categorized by text, in broad categories such as “Dragon,” and “Skull.” The team that developed MorphoTrak’s tattoo recognition algorithm wants to help law enforcement make the transition from keyword search to automated search of tattoo images, much in the same way we now search for fingerprints and faces.
HID unveils polycarbonate inlay for eIDs
HID Global announced an ultra-thin Polycarbonate ePrelaminate inlay for electronic ID cards that is more than 30% thinner than alternatives. The new offering is the first HID Global inlay to use its patented HID direct bonding platform technology, which is available for high frequency (HF) systems. NXP Semiconductors is HID’s first qualified partner supplying IC chips for this product.
HID’s new inlay directly bonds chips to wire-embedded air-coil antennae for low-frequency animal ID and automotive applications, without the bulk of added modules. The company has leveraged its direct bonding technology for HF applications, enabling manufacturers to develop small HF formats. By using this method in its new ultra-thin inlays, HID Global is providing smart cards with a durable and reliable connection between the card’s intelligence – the IC chip – and its antennae.
In addition, the thinner inlay offers eID and smart card manufacturers more flexibility in card construction. The narrow dimensions of HID Global’s ultra-thin inlays – 200 microns instead of the typical 350 microns – provide manufacturers with room to add more security features on both sides of an e-ID card during construction, while still complying with international ISO thickness standards.
NXP Semiconductors successfully qualified its SmartMX2 P60D080 secure microcontroller IC for inclusion in HID’s PC e-Prelaminate inlay that adapts well to the HID direct bonding technology.
ABNote announces Android wallet solution
American Banknote Corp. partnered with Above Mobile to launch a wallet application for Android users. ABnote’s payments solution not only provides non-Apple users an all-inclusive experience with PassWallet, but also enhances how businesses reach their Android customers. The business-to-business solution piece of the application is available exclusively through ABnote and can be white labeled for any card issuer or wallet provider.
PassWallet stores and manages users’ most sensitive information, including credit cards, bank accounts, ID documents, travel and event tickets, loyalty and gift cards and coupons.
The existing ABnote mobile payments platform provides a secure foundation for all types of payment transactions and wallet solutions, including host-card emulation or cloud-based payments.
CA Technologies buys Xceedium
CA Technologies signed an agreement to acquire privately held Xceedium Inc., a provider of privileged identity management solutions that protect on-premise, cloud and hybrid IT environments. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close within the quarter.
Acquiring Xceedium will extend CA’s security portfolio, giving customers a comprehensive solution for controlling and protecting IT administrator or other privileged user accounts from external attacks or insider mistakes and malicious misuse.
Xsuite, Xceedium’s privileged identity management solution for hybrid IT environments, offers an identity-centric, proxy-based approach. It provides a centralized point of authentication for administrators, brokering the release of credentials for shared administrative accounts without exposing them to the risk of theft, compromise, or misuse.
Deployed as a physical or virtual appliance or as an Amazon machine image, Xsuite provides scalability and simplified deployment. It also helps address security and compliance needs: namely, centralized shared account management for enhanced administrator accountability, administrative session recording for audit and incident forensics, and command filtering to limit the scope of administrator activity and network access.
