ZeroBiometrics wins patent for biometric cryptography method

ZeroBiometrics has patented a method of generating reproducible cryptographic keys from biometric entropy and performing biometric authentication, both using zero-knowledge proofs.

The company emphasizes the security and privacy advantages of not storing either biometric templates or end-user’s cryptographic keys in the announcement.

The patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO) protects a method that provides these benefits while meeting or exceeding the accuracy and usability level of traditional biometrics, the company says.

CEO Alfred Chan say ZeroBiometrics has solved multiple puzzles that have stumped researchers in academia and the biometrics industry for decades.

“Our patent addresses our methods for producing a consistent, stable, and non-reversible hash value drawn directly from biometric data,” Chan says. “This permits us to perform deterministic matching in the hash space, which offers distinct security and privacy improvements over the use of probabilistic matching between highly sensitive and often reversible biometric templates. Importantly, we also enable long-sought-after biometric revocability and re-issuance without requiring a new biometric capture session.”

The technology is appropriate for use cases like proof-of-humanity, Chan says, “with unique benefits in the many identity use cases that rely upon proof-of-possession of cryptographic keys. In particular, our customers in the decentralized identity, Web3, and digital wallet markets find our ephemeral cryptography technology to be a major differentiator.”

ZeroBiometrics was launched by Infinity Optics as the brand for its mobile authentication platform just over a year ago, and the platform was subsequently chosen for integration into EclipseIR’s biometric security software.

Article Topics

biometric hash  |  biometrics  |  cryptography  |  data privacy  |  patents  |  research and development  |  ZeroBiometrics