URU on-line identity verification

Transcription

1 on-line J Gahan stablishing and protecting is an issue that affects us all. In many everyday transactions, you have to prove that you are you. This paper describes, an automated on-line service based on a s architecture and delivery model. It discusses how will move from today s model based on documentation, to a much more convenient, faster and lower cost s model. pplications such as are evidence of the transition of s from a set of much talked about standards into real-world deployment. 1. Introduction up front and personal In many everyday transactions, the first thing you have to do is to prove that you are you. This is not as simple as it first appears. 1.1 Identity theft the crime of the century? Successful crime is copied. Identity fraud is very successful. In 2002, the Home Office estimated fraud cost the UK 1.3 billion and it is predicted to get much worse. Trials of chip and pin credit cards are under way in Northampton in an attempt to reduce credit card fraud. Perversely, chip and pin will give a big boost to fraud. hip and pin will make the skimming of cards very difficult, hence fraudsters will apply for cards in other people s names, rather than stealing or copying them. 1.2 ut who am I? There are three categories of : attributed includes your parents names and your place of birth, biographical includes your interactions with society as recorded in public and private, biometric includes your unique physical characteristics such as fingerprint, print, iris pattern and facial geometry. Identity is built on documentation. The problem is that these documents are relatively easy to obtain or forge. Recently, the journalist Paul Kenyon obtained a provisional driving licence in the name and details of Home Secretary lunkett. Kenyon also applied for and received credit cards in the name of author Frederick Forsyth, whose book, ay of the Jackal, exposed the major weakness in the issuing of UK documents thirty years ago. Kenyon demonstrated that the system was still vulnerable. No one company has the resources to stop fraud. The credit agencies hold gigabytes of data on our financial transactions, but in cases of fraud, credit checks verify the of the victim, not the real applicant. This paper suggests an inclusive approach, to mobilise businesses, government and citizens, into tackling fraud. On the Internet no-one knows you re a dog a wellknown 1993 Internet cartoon highlighted the problem with (see Fig 1). Identity is a prerequisite to other checks (see Fig 2). efore checking the background of a teacher or care worker, or a financial institution doing a credit check on a new customer, it is essential to establish with a high degree of confidence that the person is who they claim to be. The finance and gaming industries are subject to anti-money-laundering regulations. Their customers must provide two proofs of and two of domicile when opening an account. Typically, the customer has to post or take in documents such as a passport, a driving licence and two utility bills. The problem is that fraudsters are using fake documents. The current T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January

2 on-line s data from the Web site or customer relationship management (RM) system and performs a series of checks against national. confirms back to the Web site or RM system that, for each piece of information checked, the item did match, partially matched, or did not match the corresponding database record. 2.1 ross-checking data gives a higher confidence in onfidence in increases with the number of checked and the consistency of the cross-matching of each data item (see Fig 4). On the Internet, nobody knows you re a dog. Fig 1 The problem. process of checking documents is expensive and is vulnerable to fraud. 2. a new, innovative, on-line service is a new, automated, on-line - service for organisations that need to check that their customers are who they say they are and live where they claim to live (see Fig 3). With, the enters information into a business/government Web site or provides it over the telephone to a call centre. Importantly, the gives their consent for their information to be checked to establish their. receives the The more checks used, the harder it is for a fraudster to succeed they either have to steal more data or to be more consistent in the data they fabricate. Of course, every large-scale database will have some data inaccuracies. will help to identify those inaccuracies, enabling the database owners to clean the data. 2.2 asier implementation using s The service required a low-cost and simple way to connect the many Web sites, RM systems and frontoffice systems to and to enable end-user credentials to be verified against disparate (see Fig 5). s were chosen as the underlying technology for for a number of reasons. Web Services offer a widely supported and simple mechanism making easier to integrate with new and existing applications. This reduces the complexity and costs of connecting to the service and ensures that it not access to data privacy digital certificate issue proofs of passport driving licence teacher checks care workers protect children Web sales telesales reduce fraud bank accounts betting reduce money laundering entitlement card benefits Fig 2 stablishing is problematic. 44 T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January 2004

3 on-line call centre RM identifying data - name - postcode - utility information - driving licence data - passport details - telephone consent or Website Fig 3 The. name and address name address meter number telephone number driving licence number passport number date of birth electoral register deaths telephone (OSIS) MPN VL UKPS IFS shareholders Fig 4 ross-matching of data. only is technically available to a large number of potential customers, but also has a reduced initial setup cost compared to many other approaches. Since data will be interrogated and provided by a wide range of organisations that internally use a diverse range of platforms and systems, it is sensible to make use of the open-standards-based distribution model that s provide. esides the external benefits that s deliver, internal functional modules, such as registration and billing, can be designed and implemented quickly and flexibly. 2.3 has significant benefits For banks and other organisations, offers major benefits: significantly reduces the cost per transaction by removing the need to check paper documents in the majority of cases, reduces fraud and consequential bad debt by catching more fraud up front at the customer engagement stage, provides better compliance and easier auditing of compliance to meet the guidelines laid down by the Financial Services uthority and ritish anking ssociation For the, the benefits are: convenience no need to take in or post valuable documents, less delay can be verified within two seconds, T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January

4 on-line G group VL customers example of potential data suppliers revenue retail banks government retailers interface - customer number - transaction type - to be checked - customer agent - provided data output - match results - audit number UKPS council tax / citizen gambling credit rating Fig 5 The s interface. no personal data held in the is disclosed simply confirms that the data the provides either matches, partially matches or does not match the information in the, s will be alerted to the fact when the information they give does not match with the s can then contact the owners of the in cases of error, s have more protection against fraud if they register with, they will be told every time their is checked by. 2.4 Proactive anti--fraud measure eing told every time your is checked is a significant benefit for s. If it was not you applying to open an account, you can inform the bank or other organisation straight away, stopping the fraud there and then. Traditionally, by the time the becomes aware of fraud, it is already a big problem. Victims often take two years to get their financial history back to where it was before their was stolen. 2.5 Making even better So s have a real reason to want to register with. When they register, they can provide additional identify information, including a biometric. If banks and other organisations are to rely on and value checks against this additional, volunteered information, the process of registration has to be rigorous. Registration must ensure that the person really is who they claim to be. High cost and inconvenience rules out a face-to-face registration, leaving remote registration as the only practical option. The remaining part of this paper looks at how this might be done. 3. Voice has chosen as the preferred biometric for two compelling reasons: 46 T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January 2004

5 on-line can be registered remotely, can be checked remotely ll biometrics have their strengths and weaknesses [1], but none is foolproof. They all depend on optimising the false accept and false reject parameters. With, the biometric is just part of the overall checking undertaken to verify it is not the sole check. 3.1 Rigorous, remote registration Two levels of registration have been defined for. Self-registration is where s are given a full cross-check of all biographical data held about themselves in. ndorsed registration is where s ask someone who knows them to confirm that they are who they claim to be. 3.2 Self-registration The first step starts with the accessing the secure Prove- Web site and selecting the selfregistration option (see Fig 6). The secure socket layer (SSL) protocol encrypts the dialogue preventing eavesdropping. Web page describes the process, making clear the purposes for which the data will be held and warns that it is an offence to assume a fictitious or the of another person for the purposes of fraud or deception. On acceptance of the conditions, the is then sent and completes the Web form. verifies the data and if it matches the data, the is provided with a one-time number to be used in step 2 (see Fig 7). self-registration 1 goes to Web site and enters: - preferred language - name - postcode - date of birth - utility information - driving licence data - passport details - telephone number -... gives consent verifies provides one time number Web site Fig 6 Self-registration step 1. self-registration 2 calls self-registration line from home enters one time number checks LI enters date of birth checks o says words repeats words stores sends id number Fig 7 Self-registration step 2. T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January

6 on-line The second step starts with the calling the registration line from their home phone with calling line (LI) enabled (Fig 7). The interactive response () system answers the call and asks the to enter via the telephone keypad the onetime number. The system checks the LI corresponds to the user for this one-time number and as an additional check asks the user to enter their date of birth. If this is correct, the system then asks the to repeat a number of words. The are taken and stored. The system thanks them for registering and tells them that their unique number will be sent to them. The fixed cost of registration is collected from the call to the premium rate registration number. 3.3 ndorsed registration When you apply for a passport, you are required to have your application form and photograph endorsed by someone who has known you for some time. The person making the endorsement is rarely contacted by the UK Passport Service to confirm that they made the endorsement. The endorsed confirmation level of assurance is the electronic equivalent of the passport endorsement. However, with, every endorsement is checked directly with the person endorsing a s. The has to self-register successfully before applying for endorsed registration. Step 1 of endorsed registration starts with the accessing the secure Prove- Web site and selecting the endorsed registration option (see Fig 8). The user is asked to enter their number. Web page describes the process, making clear the purposes for which the data is being held and warns that it is an offence to assume a fictitious or the of another person for the purposes of fraud or deception. On acceptance of the conditions, the is provided with a search facility where they can find someone who knows them who has already achieved endorsement registration status. The creation of a critical mass of endorsed registrations is discussed later. Having found someone who knows them, they select the endorser s name. The Web site generates a onetime number for use in step 2 (Fig 9). The calls the registration line from their home telephone with LI enabled. The system answers the call, checks the LI and asks the to enter via the telephone keypad the one-time number. The system asks the to repeat three words chosen at random from those recorded at selfregistration. If the match, the is provided with a new one-time number for use in step 3. links the one-time number to the and the selected endorser. s the endorser with the s contact details and tells them to expect a visit or telephone call from the. The endorser is advised to ask questions of the, especially if they are contacted over the telephone. In step 3 (Fig 10), the either visits or telephones the endorser and provides the endorser with the latest one-time number. Step 4 (Fig 11) follows the visit or telephone call. The endorser calls a freephone number from their home telephone with LI enabled. The system answers endorsed registration 1 enters their number provides a find an endorser function selects an endorser provides one time number Web site Fig 8 ndorsed registration step T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January 2004

7 on-line endorsed registration 2 calls endorsed registration line from home enters one time number checks LI enters date of birth chooses at random and says three registration words repeats words checks tells new one time number s s details to endorser Fig 9 ndorsed registration step 2. endorsed registration 3 calls or visits endorser endorser ensures it is the person they know tells the endorser one time number Fig 10 ndorsed registration step 3. the call and asks the endorser to enter via the telephone keypad the one-time number. The system checks the LI and asks the endorser to repeat three words chosen at random from those recorded at self-registration. If the match, the system confirms the name of the person requesting endorsed registration and asks the endorser to key in how many years they have known the and, on a scale of 1 to 5, how well they know the. The thanks the endorser and updates the status of the to endorsed registration. It is envisaged that endorsers will not charge their friends for endorsing their registrations. maintains the chain of who has endorsed whom. If any registration is subsequently found to be false, will know all related endorsements that are suspect. 4. reating the first endorsers In order for endorsed registrations to be practical, there has to be a large number of endorsers from the outset. Two approaches are being considered, the known employee process and the known customer process. oth processes are based on additional information being available to increase the confidence endorsed registration 4 calls free endorsed registration line from home enters one time number checks LI chooses at random and says three registration words endorser repeats words checks tells endorser the requester s name and address endorser confirms endorser keys in how long and how well they know thanks endorser endorser Fig 11 ndorsed registration step 4. T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January

8 on-line level about the first endorsers. In addition, the length of time the employee has been employed or the has been a customer is also a factor. 4.1 reating initial endorsers from known employees The Times 100 companies and selected government departments would be provided with a print-based password reset service. Password reset requests represent more than 50% of IT helpdesk calls. Helpdesk costs could be significantly reduced if all password resets were automated, using as the authentication method. This is a more secure way than asking for personal data over the telephone or using e- mail. mployees would self-register with. dditional checks are made against their firm s pay-roll and personnel. Self-registered employees that have worked for the company for more than 5 years are automatically upgraded to endorser status. Other selfregistration employees are encouraged to go through the normal endorsed registration process. When an employee wants to reset their password, they telephone a password reset line. answers the call and asks the employee to key in their number and repeat three words chosen at random from those recorded at self-registration. If the match, the system resets their forgotten password and tells them the new password. 4.2 reating initial endorsers from known customers In this start-up model, works with a company that has a reliable customer database of stable customers about which they hold accurate detailed personal data. The company encourages their customer base to register with. ustomers self-register with as described earlier; however, additional checks are made against the company s database. Self-registered customers that have been a customer for more than 5 years are automatically upgraded to endorser status. Other self-registration customers are encouraged to go through the normal endorsed registration process. 5. Using to check remotely Organisations who use the service will be able to specify print checks as well as biographical data checks. The following two scenarios illustrate how remote print works a calling into a call centre and a accessing a Web site. 5.1 all-centre print scenario systems are commonly used to pre-categorise s before they are put through to a call-centre agent. One of the menu options could be key 1 if you are registered with. On pressing 1, the is switched into the print checking system (see Fig 12). asks the to enter via the telephone keypad their number. The system asks the to repeat three words chosen at random from those recorded at self-registration. If the print matches, provides the next available call agent with the s name and address details together with confirmation that they have passed the print. stores the company name and details in the audit trail. remote telephones call centre keys 1 for keys number chooses at random and says three registration words repeats words checks passes call to agent, confirms I and name and address of logs customer call centre Fig 12 call-centre remote. 50 T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January 2004

9 on-line remote goes to Web site enters I data and telephone number customer wants check calls keys number chooses at random and says three registration words repeats words checks sends the results of all checks to customer Web site logs customer Web site Fig 13 Web site remote. 5.2 Web site print scenario In this scenario the is trying to open an account and has accessed a financial institution s Web site (Fig 13). The is asked if they are registered with. If they are, they are asked to enter their number and a telephone number on which they can be immediately contacted. The financial institution s Web site makes a Web Services call to. dials the and asks the to enter via the telephone keypad their number. The system then asks the to repeat three words chosen at random from those recorded at self-registration. If the print matches, sends back confirmation to the financial institution s Web site via the, that the has passed the print. 6. onclusions stablishing and protecting is an issue that affects us all. In many everyday transactions, you have to prove that you are you. Proving you are you is moving into the electronic age, driven by a cheaper, faster, more reliable and auditable service called. Web Services have provided an effective and extensible architecture and delivery model for this highly sensitive and commercially important new service. Voice is set to become the pervasive, low-cost way of adding a biometric check to complement existing checks based on biographical and attributed. T plans to conduct a mass trial of as part of the uropean Union Government User Id for urope (GUI) project. Reference 1 Rejman-Greene M: iometrics real identities for a virtual world, T Technol J, 19, No 3, pp (July 2001). hris Gahan holds an honours degree in Mathematics and omputer Science. He has worked extensively in IT becoming T s uropean IT Manager for Northern Telecom. He has product and business development expertise within the telecommunications and networking industries, specialising in high-speed secure networks and network-based Web Services applications. He holds a US patent for secure networking, and would welcome feedback, at chris.gahan@bt.com, on the project described in this paper. T Technology Journal Vol 22 No 1 January