Performance evaluation and forensic examination of common fingerprint spoofing materials

Abstract

Fingerprints are the most common evidence found at crime scenes and the most relevant biometric feature for personal identification. The persistence and uniqueness of fingerprints make them one of the most definitive biometric traits, which has led to their wide promotion in secure identity recognition systems. Due to its reliability, it is imperative to maintain its authenticity. The common usage of fingerprinting systems across the world in almost all kind of organizational set-ups have encouraged criminals to turn to fingerprint spoofing and a few other means to break through identity-based security barriers. Major crimes associated with fingerprint spoofing includes biometric data breach, financial frauds, and impersonation. The present research uses common fingerprint spoofing materials to evaluate their performances on a set of available fingerprint biometric machines. Finger impressions were developed on commonly available spoofing materials, which were then subjected to available fingerprint biometric scanners. For those fake prints that successfully bypassed biometric scanners, forensic examinations were performed. Realizing the likelihood of the use of such spoofed finger impressions in the commission of a crime, that exists and continues to evolve in modern society, a proactive forensic approach is imperative. Thus, the ability of these spoofed prints to create inked impressions on paper was also examined vis-à-vis the original inked finger impressions on the paper.