SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CHECKING REVOCATION STATUS OF A BIOMETRIC REFERENCE TEMPLATE

• US 20100205431A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Griffin, Phillip H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,327,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/76 Proxy, i.e. using intermediary entity to perform cryptographic operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A system, method and program product for checking the revocation status of a biometric reference template. The method includes creating a revocation object for a reference template generated for an individual, where the revocation object contains first plaintext data providing a location for checking revocation status of the reference template and containing ciphertext data identifying the unique reference template identifier and a hash of the reference template. The method further includes providing the revocation object to a relying party requesting revocation status and sending a request to an issuer of the reference template for checking the revocation status of the reference template, without revealing identity of the individual. The method further includes returning results of the revocation status check to the relying party. In an embodiment, a random value is added to the ciphertext data for preserving privacy of the reference template holder.

Claims

1. A method for checking revocation status of a biometric reference template, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a reference template revocation object for a biometric reference template generated for an individual, said reference template revocation object containing a first set of plaintext data providing a location for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template and containing ciphertext data corresponding to a second set of plaintext data identifying said unique biometric reference template identifier and a hash of said biometric reference template;

providing said reference template revocation object created to a relying party requesting revocation status of said biometric reference template; and

sending a request to an issuer of said biometric reference template for checking said revocation status of said biometric reference template, without revealing identity of said individual.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

returning results of said revocation status check for said biometric reference template to said relying party.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said creating step further comprises the step of:

generating said biometric reference template having a unique biometric reference template identifier assigned thereto that uniquely identifies biometric data processed from a sample collected for said individual.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said creating step further comprises the step of:

adding a random value to said second set of plaintext data to be ciphered to create said ciphertext data for said template revocation object; and

injecting said reference template revocation object created into a security token device issued to said individual, wherein said random value added to said second set of plaintext data produces a different calculated encrypted value each time said template revocation object is encrypted.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said sending step further comprises the step of:

deciphering, using a cryptographic key in sole possession of said issuer, said ciphertext data to obtain said unique biometric reference template identifier and said hash of said biometric reference template for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template, wherein said identity of said individual is not revealed.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said first set of plaintext data comprises at least one of:

a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier).

7. A system for checking revocation status of a biometric reference template comprising:

a central processing unit;

a biometric application for creating a biometric reference template having a unique biometric reference template identifier that uniquely identifies a biometric sample collected from an individual;

a revocation status tool for creating a reference template revocation object associated with said biometric reference template for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template without revealing said unique biometric reference template identifier, said reference template revocation object containing a first set of plaintext data providing a location for checking said revocation status of said biometric reference template and containing ciphertext data containing a second set of plaintext data identifying said unique biometric reference template identifier and a hash of said biometric reference template;

an authentication tool for enciphering, using a cryptographic key in sole possession of an issuer of said biometric reference template, said second set of plaintext data contained in said reference template revocation object to form said ciphertext data identifying said unique biometric reference template and said hash of said biometric reference template, and for deciphering said ciphertext data for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template without revealing identity of said individual; and

a reader device for reading said revocation status of said biometric reference template and for communicating said revocation status read for said biometric reference template to a relying party.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a security token device dispensed to said individual corresponding to said biometric reference template, wherein said security token device securely stores said reference template revocation object created therein.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said security token device further comprises:

an encryption key for encrypting said reference template revocation object; and

a signature key for signing said reference template revocation object.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said template revocation object further comprises a random value added to said ciphertext data contained in said template revocation object to scramble a calculated encrypted value of said ciphertext data during authentication.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said authentication tool verifies said signature associated with said template revocation object created for said biometric reference template.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising:

an identification tool for assigning said unique biometric reference template identifier for uniquely identifying said biometric reference template.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said signed reference template revocation object is provided to said relying party for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template, without revealing said identity of said individual.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said plaintext data comprises at least one of:

a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier).

15. A computer program product for checking revocation status of a biometric reference template, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to create a reference template revocation object for a biometric reference template generated for an individual, said reference template revocation object containing a first set of plaintext data providing a location for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template and containing ciphertext data corresponding to a second set of plaintext data identifying said unique biometric reference template identifier and a hash of said biometric reference template;

second program instructions to inject said reference template revocation object created into a security token device;

third program instructions to access said location for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template without revealing said unique biometric reference template identifier assigned to said biometric reference template generated for said individual, wherein said ciphertext data may only be recovered by an issuer of said biometric reference template in possession of a cryptographic key; and

a central processing unit for executing each of said first, second and third program instructions, wherein said first, second and third program instructions are recorded on said computer readable storage medium.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising:

fourth program instructions to add a random value to said ciphertext data contained in said template revocation object to obtain a different calculated encrypted value during authentication, wherein said fourth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium for execution by said central processing unit.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein said first program instructions include instructions to generate a biometric reference template having said unique biometric reference template identifier assigned thereto that uniquely identifies biometric data processed from a sample collected for said individual.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said ciphertext data is decrypted, using said cryptographic key in sole possession of said issuer, to recover said unique biometric reference template identifier and said hash of said biometric reference template, without revealing identity of said individual.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said third program instructions include instructions to utilize said unique biometric reference template identifier and said hash of said biometric reference template for identifying and locating said biometric reference template whose revocation status is to be checked and to return results of checking said revocation status of said biometric reference template to a relying party.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein said plaintext data comprises at least one of:

a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier).

21. A process for deploying computing infrastructure comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein said code in combination with said computing system is capable of performing a process for checking revocation status of a biometric reference template, said process comprising:

generating a biometric reference template having a unique biometric reference template identifier assigned thereto that uniquely identifies biometric data processed from a sample collected for an individual;

creating a reference template revocation object for a biometric reference template generated for an individual, said reference template revocation object containing a first set of plaintext data providing a location for checking revocation status of said biometric reference template and containing ciphertext data corresponding to a second set of plaintext data identifying said unique biometric reference template identifier and a hash of said biometric reference template;

providing said reference template revocation object created to a relying party requesting revocation status of said biometric reference template; and

sending a request to an issuer of said biometric reference template for checking said revocation status of said biometric reference template, without revealing identity of said individual.

22. The process according to claim 21, wherein said providing step further comprises the step of:

adding a random value to said ciphertext data contained in said template revocation object to obtain a different calculated encrypted value during authentication.

23. The process according to claim 22, wherein said sending step further comprises the steps of:

utilizing said unique biometric reference template identifier and said hash of said biometric reference template for identifying and locating said biometric reference template whose revocation status is to be checked; and

returning results of checking said revocation status of said biometric reference template to a relying party.

24. The process according to claim 23, wherein said ciphertext data is encrypted using a cryptographic key chosen by and known only to said issuer of said biometric reference template, and wherein said ciphertext data is decrypted using said cryptographic key for recovering said unique biometric reference template identifier and said hash of said biometric reference template.

25. The process according to claim 24, wherein said plaintext data comprises at least one of:

a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier).