Precise Biometrics' Christer Bergman (left) and Johan Oltegen (right) say the Pentagon contract will help prove the value of their products.

A stronghold of security, the Pentagon chooses technology from Precise Biometrics to increase security for mobile computers.
By Hans Larsson,
Photos: Kennet Ruona, Gamma/IBL

Precise Biometrics is about to conquer the Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defense. A new identification system, combining the Precise 100 SC reader with a Spyrus smart card, has been selected to ensure secure connections for defence personnel using mobile computers to access Pentagon servers.

"When it comes to security, the Office of the Secretary of Defense is probably the most demanding customer imaginable. We, of course, take great pride in meeting their requirements," says Christer Bergman, who is coordinating Precise Biometrics' development on the American market.

Levels of security
Johan Oltegen, business developer at the company headquarters in Lund, Sweden, explains that there are three levels of secure authentication: a smart card as a key, a personal password or PIN and, at the top level, a biometric solution such as a fingerprint. The Pentagon's specifications were unique in that they demanded all three levels. "That is to say, even if someone tried to abuse a fingerprint authentication -- for instance, by putting its holder to sleep -- the intruder would still have to find the smart card and crack the personal code to get into the system," says Oltegen.

The Pentagon also wanted to use the smart card as the place where you securely stored your fingerprint template. "This is really the point where we outmanoeuvred our competitors," says Oltegen. "Our solution stores the template in an encrypted form on the smart card, which means that you always carry your own template with you wherever you go. You gain flexibility while enhancing both security and personal integrity."

End goal
The contract was won in competition with a large number of companies in the fields of biometrics, smart cards and cryptography. The first step will be a detailed user study, with a limited number of Pentagon officials testing the new system.

"The end goal of the DoD is to equip everybody in their organisation with a smart card. With our solution having been chosen for the Pentagon study, we see an opportunity to prove the value to a large number of users. The solution is, however, suitable for a range of other users as well, be it government, private companies or financial institutions. This is indeed a breakthrough for Precise Biometrics' products on the US market," says Bergman.