For example, a card may be used to control access to confidential information. However, given how easily it can change hands, it is not accepted as a very secure method of access control.
A much more secure method of access control is the two-factor authentication. The person who requests access must present some kind of proof of their identity combined with another authentication factor. For this purpose, one of the following can be used:
- Something that only the user knows, such as password or PIN
- Something which is an integral part of the user, such as a fingerprint, iris scan, or other biometric measurements
To guarantee computer security, access control includes authorisation, authentication, and auditing of the user who is trying to get access. Access control distinguishes between two categories: objects and subjects. The subject is the user requesting access to the object – usually a software programme. In computer security, an access control list contains different access categories and a list of users associated with such categories. One and same set of data may be accessible by some users and invisible for others depending on the access level assigned to them. In this way, the system administrator can grant different privileges with regard to the information that can be accessed, and can determine who will have access to it and the periods in which it will be accessible.
Biometric security is a mechanism used to authenticate and provide access to buildings or systems based on the automatic verification of an individual’s physical characteristics. Since biometric security uses the physical characteristics of the individual, it is considered one of the most robust and most foolproof security techniques.
Biometric security is mainly implemented in environments of critical importance. Biometric security-based systems store databases with physical characteristics that do not change over an individual’s lifetime. These include fingerprints, eye texture, voice, hand patterns, and facial recognition.
RAD Group Communication Technology works with the leading world manufacturers of authentication technology using video surveillance systems based on the geometry of the human body and face, body thermography, etc.
Each individual’s data are stored in a biometric security system or scanner, which may be accessed by authorised personnel. When an individual requests access to data or a building, the biometric scanner evaluates their physical characteristics by matching them with the stored records. If a match is located, the individual is granted access, and vice versa.
To optimize the level of security, in all our projects we integrate access control with the video surveillance system.
