A Multimodal Authentication System for Authorizing the Access to NGN Services

An essential feature of new generation networks is the availability of many new services offered by several different players. Often, in this scenario, different applications and services have their own authentication method and use different credentials. More reliable, flexible and easy-to-use methods are needed. We separate the recovery of application-specific credentials, hosted in the network, from the personal identification. Our first implementation combines fingerprint recognition and contactless smart cards in a highly secure system. After the biometric identification is carried out, the contactless smart card allows to sense the user presence, in order to unlock his/her workstation and to recover from a server, using a secure protocol, the credential necessary to access VoIP services. The mechanism strength is guaranteed by limiting in time and space the validity of the logical association between biometric identification and card ownership