ISO/IEC 24787:2018
(Main)Information technology — Identification cards — On-card biometric comparison
Information technology — Identification cards — On-card biometric comparison
This document establishes — architectures of biometric comparison using an ICC, — on-card biometric comparison, both in sensor-off-card systems and as part of biometric system-on-card, — work-sharing on-card biometric comparison, and — security policies for on-card biometric comparison. This document does not establish — requirements for off-card biometric comparison, — requirements for biometric system-on-card (as defined in ISO/IEC 17839), or — modality-specific requirements for storage and comparison.
Technologies de l'information — Identification des cartes — Comparaison biométrique sur cartes
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Standards Content (Sample)
INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 24787
Second edition
2018-10
Information technology —
Identification cards — On-card
biometric comparison
Technologies de l'information — Identification des cartes —
Comparaison biométrique sur cartes
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2018
© ISO/IEC 2018
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 3
5 Conformance . 4
6 Architecture of biometric comparison using an ICC . 4
6.1 General . 4
6.2 Off-card biometric comparison. 4
6.3 On-card biometric comparison (sensor-off-card) . 5
6.4 Work-sharing on-card biometric comparison . 6
6.5 Biometric system-on-card . 7
7 Framework for on-card comparison . 7
7.1 General . 7
7.2 Application selection (AID) . 7
7.3 Data for on-card biometric comparison . 7
7.3.1 General. 7
7.3.2 Format of biometric reference . 8
7.3.3 Data objects in the scope of biometric verification . 9
7.3.4 One biometric reference for multiple applications .11
7.4 Processes .11
7.4.1 Enrolment .11
7.4.2 Biometric verification .12
7.4.3 Comparison process and result output .12
7.5 Biometric comparison parameter management .12
7.6 Termination .12
8 Security policies for on-card biometric comparison .12
8.1 General .12
8.2 Common security policies for on-card biometric comparison .13
8.2.1 Minimum security policy .13
8.2.2 Security requirements and biometric reference management policy .13
8.2.3 Retry counter management .14
8.3 Security policies (SP1) for global biometric comparison parameters .14
8.4 Security policies (SP2) for application-specific biometric comparison parameters .14
9 Work-sharing on-card biometric comparison procedure .15
Annex A (informative) Sample APDU for on-card biometric comparison .17
Annex B (informative) Example of one biometric reference for multiple applications .20
Annex C (informative) Examples of implementations of on-card biometric comparison
mechanisms .22
Annex D (informative) Considerations for security mechanisms in on-card biometric
comparison .25
Bibliography .27
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso
.org/iso/foreword .html. This document was prepared by ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, SC 17,
Cards and security devices for personal identification.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 24787:2010), which has been
technically revised. It also incorporates the Technical Corrigendum ISO/IEC 24787:2010/Cor 1:2013.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— Clause 7 has been restructured; the subclauses have been relocated within the clause:
— in 7.3.3 (previously 7.1.3), configuration data elements and biometric comparison algorithm
parameters have been replaced with biometric functionality information and biometric
comparison parameters respectively. Refer to 7.3.3.2 and 7.3.3.3 for more information;
— in 7.3.4 (previously 7.1.4), the implementation of one biometric reference for multiple applications
has been updated. Refer to Annex B for an example of the updated implementation;
— Clause 8 (previously Annex B) has been moved from a normative annex into the main body of the
document;
— Clause 9 (previously Clause 8) has been replaced with an outline of the overall work-sharing process;
— previous Annexes A, D, F and H have been removed.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/members .html.
iv © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
Introduction
On-card biometric comparison provides a more secure biometric verification method than one where
a biometric comparison is carried outside a secure cryptographic device. Storing biometric reference
data in a secure ICC means that the reference is not available at any external interface once it has been
stored in the ICC, mitigating the risk of extraction and misuse by an unauthorised party.
ISO/IEC 7816-11 and ISO/IEC 19785-3 cover technologies for off-card and simple on-card biometric
comparison. ISO/IEC 17839 covers biometric system-on-card.
This document provides requirements for a biometric comparison methodology suitable for the on-card
environment. It also covers the on-card comparison work-sharing techniques that require an intensity
exceeding the capabilities of ICCs.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) draw attention to the fact that it is claimed that compliance with this document may
involve the use of a patent concerning work-sharing given in Clause 9.
ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity and scope of this patent right. The
holder of this patent right has assured ISO and IEC that he/she is willing to negotiate licences under
reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions with applicants throughout the world. In this
respect, the statement of the holder of this patent right is registered with ISO and IEC. Information may
be obtained from:
Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd.,
30 Biopolis Street,
#09-02 matrix,
Singapore 138671
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights other than those identified above. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying
any or all such patent rights.
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved v
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 24787:2018(E)
Information technology — Identification cards — On-card
biometric comparison
1 Scope
This document establishes
— architectures of biometric comparison using an ICC,
— on-card biometric comparison, both in sensor-off-card systems and as part of biometric system-
on-card,
— work-sharing on-card biometric comparison, and
— security policies for on-card biometric comparison.
This document does not establish
— requirements for off-card biometric comparison,
— requirements for biometric system-on-card (as defined in ISO/IEC 17839), or
— modality-specific requirements for storage and comparison.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 7816-4, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 4: Organization, security and
commands for interchange
ISO/IEC 7816-11, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 11: Personal verification through
biometric methods
ISO/IEC 19785-3, Information technology — Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework — Part 3:
Patron format specifications
ISO/IEC 19794 (all parts), Information technology — Biometric data interchange formats
ISO/IEC 24761, Information technology — Security techniques — Authentication context for biometrics
ISO/IEC 29794 (all parts), Information technology — Biometric sample quality
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https: //www .iso .org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http: //www .electropedia .org/
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 1
3.1
action
action taken according to the results of the biometric decision (3.10)
EXAMPLE In the case of on-card biometric comparison, a change in the security status.
3.2
biometric auxiliary data
data that is dependent on the biometric modality and related to the biometric reference (3.7) but does
not include the biometric reference (3.7) or a biometric sample
EXAMPLE Data such as orientation, scaling, etc.
3.3
biometric comparison parameters
application-level on-card comparison parameters associated with the appropriate enrolled biometric
reference (3.7)
3.4
biometric data format
structure for representing the biometric data
3.5
biometric functionality information
read-only ICC biometric functionality capability information specified by the provider of the ICC
operating system with on-card comparison
3.6
biometric information template
descriptive information regarding the associated biometric data
3.7
biometric reference
one or more stored biometric samples, biometric templates or biometric models attributed to a
biometric data subject and used as the object of biometric comparison
Note 1 to entry: A biometric reference is a set of features extracted from the biometric samples during enrolment.
This is completely different from the concept of ‘template’ by the smartcard industry and standards (see ISO/
IEC 7816-4), which is a defined structure of the value field of a constructed data object.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382-37:2017, 3.3.16, modified — The EXAMPLE and Notes to entry of SOURCE has
been replaced by the above Note 1 to entry.]
3.8
biometric system-on-card
card-sized device including biometric acquisition, data processing, storage, comparison and decision
(3.10) to compose a complete biometric verification (3.9) system
3.9
biometric verification
process of confirming a biometric claim through biometric comparison
Note 1 to entry: The result of a biometric verification is taken by the ICC in order to make the final decision (3.10).
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382-37:2017, 3.8.3, modified — The Note 1 to entry has been replaced.]
3.10
decision
process to compare a similarity score to a predefined threshold to decide whether the biometric claim
is from the genuine cardholder or an imposter
2 © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
3.11
signal processing
image processing
process to extract distinctive biometric properties from a given image or signal
3.12
on-card biometric comparison
comparison and decision making on an ICC where the biometric reference (3.7) is retained on-card in
order to enhance security and privacy
3.13
off-card biometric comparison
biometric comparison performed outside the ICC by the biometric verification (3.9) system against the
biometric reference (3.7) stored on the ICC
3.14
work-sharing
splitting the computational workload of the comparison process between the ICC and the IFD
3.15
sensor-off-card
sensor located on the IFD outside of an ICC
4 Abbreviated terms
AID application identifier
APDU application protocol data unit
BER basic encoding rules
BHT biometric header template
CBEFF common biometric exchange format framework
DF dedicated file
EF elementary file
FCI file control information
FMR false match rate
ICC integrated circuit card
IFD interface device
MAC message authentication code
PBO ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍ ʙɪᴏᴍᴇᴛʀɪᴄ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
RFU reserved for future use
SW1-SW2 status bytes
TLV tag length value
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 3
5 Conformance
a) An on-card biometric comparison system claiming conformance to this document shall be
personalized with three sets of data:
1) biometric reference, as described in 7.3.2;
2) biometric functionality information, as described in 7.3.3.2;
3) biometric comparison parameters, as described in 7.3.3.3.
b) Support one biometric reference for multiple applications, as described in 7.3.4.
c) Support retry counter management, as described in 8.2.3.
d) Comply with the requirements set forth in 7.4 to 7.6 for on-card biometric comparison
implementations.
e) Comply with the requirements set forth in Clause 9 for work-sharing implementations.
Biometric verification can coexist with other authentication mechanisms, such as PIN. The rules for
such coexistence shall comply with ISO/IEC 7816-4.
The handling of biometric data shall comply with ISO/IEC 7816-4 and ISO/IEC 7816-11.
The encoding of biometric data shall comply with ISO/IEC 19785-3 and ISO/IEC 7816-11.
6 Architecture of biometric comparison using an ICC
6.1 General
The following subclauses define four architectures of biometric comparison using an ICC or an ICC
with a biometric verification system. This document only specifies the requirements for architectures
mentioned in 6.3 and 6.4.
While off-card biometric comparison is out of scope for this document, the information in 6.2 is
presented to enhance the understanding of the relationship between on-card biometric comparison
methods covered in this document and off-card biometric comparison methods.
The biometric reference is stored in an ICC prior to the biometric verification execution.
6.2 Off-card biometric comparison
Off-card biometric comparison means the biometric verification is performed on the off-card biometric
verification system. The ICC acts as a storage device to store the biometric reference(s) of the cardholder.
The process is schematically represented in Figure 1.
The biometric verification system captures a biometric sample for comparison with a biometric
reference retrieved from an ICC. The biometric verification system changes its security status based on
the result of biometric comparison to perform subsequent transactions.
EXAMPLE Consider an automated border control system. A facial image (biometric reference) is stored in an
electronic machine readable travel document (eMRTD). An eMRTD is a passport with an embedded contactless
IC as an ICC. When this eMRTD is presented to an automated border control system, mutual authentication is
executed between the system and the e-passport. Then the stored facial image (biometric reference) is retrieved
from the e-passport and facial image recognition (biometric comparison) is executed by the system. When the
comparison is successful (the e-passport holder is verified), the system allows the passage of the e-passport holder.
4 © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
Figure 1 — General architecture for biometric verification using off-card biometric comparison
6.3 On-card biometric comparison (sensor-off-card)
On-card biometric comparison means the biometric verification is performed in the ICC having enough
processing power. The process is schematically represented in Figure 2. The capturing of the biometric
sample takes place outside the ICC. The enrolment process is the same as or similar to that for off-card
comparison.
It is recommended to transfer the biometric data into the ICC using secure messaging (see ISO/IEC 7816-
4) between the biometric verification system and the ICC.
NOTE Annex C provides examples of how to implement on-card biometric comparison methods related to
the security status of the ICC. Annex D provides information on how security relationships can be implemented
in an on-card biometric comparison solution.
Figure 2 — General architecture for biometric verification using on-card biometric comparison
NOTE Actions taken by the IFD based on the result of biometric on-card comparison within the ICC are not
within the scope of this document.
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 5
6.4 Work-sharing on-card biometric comparison
Work-sharing on-card biometric comparison is similar to on-card biometric comparison except that the
comparison process is assisted by external processing. This type of comparison may be used by an
ICC that does not have sufficient processing capability (e.g. long processing time) to execute the entire
biometric data comparison.
This comparison process is divided into several sub-processes which are executed in an IFD and on
an ICC as presented in Figure 3. Biometric auxiliary data is stored in an ICC and a biometric reference
is stored in the different portion on the ICC. The biometric auxiliary data can be retrieved from an
ICC while the biometric reference cannot. The biometric auxiliary data, which contains the biometric
property, is provided for accelerating the biometric comparison.
The outline procedure for work-sharing on-card biometric comparison is:
— before the biometric comparison procedure is started, a biometric verification system on an IFD
captures a biometric sample from a cardholder;
— before the biometric comparison procedure, the biometric auxiliary data is retrieved from an ICC;
— a biometric verification system on an IFD starts the first process of the biometric comparison
procedure and then triggers the execution of subsequent processes in a daisy chain manner;
— the final process of the biometric comparison procedure is executed on an ICC;
— after the final process of the biometric comparison procedure is done, subsequent processes, such
as decision and action, are then executed.
Further details of biometric auxiliary data depend on biometrics modality and are not specified in this
document.
NOTE Annex C provides examples of how to implement on-card biometric comparison methods related to
the security status of the ICC. Annex D provides information on how security relationships can be implemented
in an on-card biometric comparison solution.
Figure 3 — Example of architecture for work-sharing on-card biometric comparison
6 © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
6.5 Biometric system-on-card
Biometric system-on-card means that the whole biometric verification process from biometric sample
capturing to action is performed on an ICC. The process is schematically represented in Figure 4.
ISO/IEC 17839 specifies details of biometric system-on-card.
Figure 4 — General architecture for biometric verification using biometric system-on-card
7 Framework for on-card comparison
7.1 General
This clause is applicable to on-card biometric comparison (sensor-off-card) (see 6.3) and work-sharing
on-card biometric comparison (see 6.4). It may also be applicable to biometric system-on-card (see 6.5).
7.2 Application selection (AID)
The on-card biometric comparison may be implemented as an independent application. In this case, it
shall be identified by a standard AID according to ISO/IEC 7816-4. The on-card biometric comparison
application may be selected by this standard AID using the object identifier ‘28 81 C1 53’ (i.e. ‘E8 28 81
C1 53’ + [an application-specific application identifier extension]).
NOTE The standard AID is derived from the standard's document number according to ISO/IEC 7816-4.
7.3 Data for on-card biometric comparison
7.3.1 General
The biometric information template defined in ISO/IEC 7816-11 shall be used for exchanging
biometric information with optional biometric reference data. This document defines data objects
for the configuration of the biometric verification (biometric functionality information and biometric
comparison parameters). These configuration data objects shall be encapsulated in the biometric
information template.
An excerpt of the biometric information template as defined in ISO/IEC 7816-11 is provided in Table 1
for the readability of this document.
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 7
Table 1 — Excerpt of the biometric information template
Tag Len Value Note
‘7F60’ Var Biometric information template See ISO/IEC 7816-11.
Tag Len Value
‘A1’ Var DOs other than DO‘91’, DO‘B1’
and DO‘B2’ encapsulated in this
Biometric header template (BHT)
template are specified in ISO/
IEC 19785-3.
Tag Len Value
‘78’ 7 Compatible tag allocation author- Mandatory if ‘A1’ is present and
ity the tag allocation is explicit.
Tag Len Value
Meaning object identifier of ISO/
IEC 19785-3.
‘06’ 5 '28819A4903'
Only if tag allocation is explicit.
Tag Len Value
‘70’ Var Template for nesting CBEFF TLV
Optional.
DOs defined in ISO/IEC 19785-3
Tag Len Value
See Table 3 for DOs encapsulated
‘91’
Algorithm param-
in DO‘B1’.
or Var
eters
‘B1’
Only if tag allocation is explicit.
Tag Len Value
‘91’ Var Biometric comparison param- See Table 3 for DOs encapsu-
eters lated in DO‘B1’.
or
Only if tag allocation is implicit.
‘B1’
‘B2’ Var Biometric functionality informa- See Table 2 for DOs encapsu-
tion lated in DO‘B2’.
Tag Len Value
‘5F2E’ Var Biometric data (primitive)
Tag Len Value
‘7F2E’ Var Biometric data (constructed)
Tag Len Value
Biometric data in primitive bi- DOs are specified in ISO/
‘81’ Var
nary standardized format IEC 19794.
Biometric data in propriety for-
‘82’ Var
mat (primitive)
Biometric data in constructed
‘A1’ Var
standardized format
Biometric data in propriety for-
‘A2’ Var
mat (constructed)
NOTE While DO‘A0’ and DO‘A1’ under DO‘7F60’ are defined in ISO/IEC 7816-11, DO‘A0’ is not used and DO‘A1’ is the
biometric header template for this document.
7.3.2 Format of biometric reference
For reasons of biometric reference interoperability, on-card biometric comparison shall use the
biometric data format as defined in the relevant part of the ISO/IEC 19794 series.
The biometric data template DO’7F2E’ under the biometric information template DO’7F60’ shall be
used for encapsulating biometric data. The value field of DO’81’ or DO’A1’ under DO’7F2E’ is a biometric
8 © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
data or a template for biometric data objects in standardized format (See ISO/IEC 7816-11). An example
is provided in Annex A.
Compact card formats as described in the relevant parts of ISO/IEC 19794 are recommended.
7.3.3 Data objects in the scope of biometric verification
7.3.3.1 General requirements
Algorithm parameters may either be in the TLV data object format or a set of data elements not in the
TLV data object format. The former is encapsulated in DO‘B1’ under BHT DO‘A1’ under the biometric
information template DO‘7F60’. The latter is encapsulated in DO‘91’ under BHT DO‘A1’ under the
biometric information template DO‘7F60’.
7.3.3.2 Data objects for biometric functionality information
The biometric functionality information for biometric verification consists of a set of data objects
described in Table 2. Retrieval of biometric functionality information shall be subjected to the associated
security attributes. If biometric functionality information is available, it shall be encapsulated in the
BHT DO ‘A1’, which is under the biometric information template DO ‘7F60’. This biometric functionality
information shall be coded when present, within the 'B2' tag of the BHT (see ISO/IEC 7816-11), as shown
in Table 2.
Biometric functionality information is established before ICC issuance. This information can be read
out of the ICC but cannot be modified during the ICC operational state. In case of multiple biometric
modalities supported by the ICC, each biometric modality shall have its own biometric functionality
information.
Table 2 — Data objects for biometric functionality information elements
Tag Length Valid values Description
‘80’ 1-3 Maximum size of the biometric probe in
bytes
'81’ 1-3 Maximum size of the biometric reference
in bytes
‘82’ 1 '00' – 'FF' Supported number of biometric references
('00' – no information given)
‘83’ 1 '00' : No re-enrolment possible Flag indicating the possibility of re-
enrolment
‘01’ : Re-enrolment possible
Other values: RFU
‘85’ Var As defined in ISO/IEC 29794-1 Minimum verification data quality sup-
ported by the comparison algorithm as
defined in the relevant parts of the ISO/
IEC 19794 and ISO/IEC 29794 series
‘87’ Var Minimum quality requirements for the
biometric probe for performing the com-
parison, which can be proprietary (e.g.
minimum number of fingerprint minutiae
required)
'8F' Var Proprietary data
‘90’ Var See Table 4 Types of biometric verification and, if ap-
plicable, performance of the ICC
‘A4’ 8 As defined by the registration Identification of the comparison algorithm
authority described in ISO/
If ‘A4’ is present, both fields below shall
IEC 19785-3
be present
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 9
Table 2 (continued)
Tag Length Valid values Description
Tag Length Valid values
‘80’ 2 Vendor ID
‘81’ 2 Algorithm ID
7.3.3.3 Biometric comparison parameters
While the biometric functionality information is modality-specific, the biometric comparison
parameters are application-specific. These biometric comparison parameters should be stored in a
biometric information template that contains a reference to the actual biometric data. These parameters
can be modified during enrolment. These parameters are related to a biometric reference. In case the
ICC allows for multiple applications to share one biometric reference, each application may have its own
set of biometric comparison parameters (see 7.3.4). An example is provided in Annex B.
Table 3 and Table 4 define biometric comparison parameters in the biometric information template for
on-card biometric comparison (tag ‘91’/’B1’ under the BHT which is DO'A1' in ISO/IEC 19785-3:2015,
Table 3).
Table 3 — Data objects for biometric comparison parameters
Tag Length Valid values Description
‘81’ * * Minimum and maximum length of the biometric probe
This value shall be compatible with the one defined in tag ‘80’ of DO ‘B2’
(see 7.3.3.2)
‘82’ * * Ordering, if applicable, of the features in the biometric probe
‘83’ * * Feature handling indicator
‘84’ * * Alignment information
‘85’ ** ** Minimum verification data quality supported (see Table 2)
This value shall be compatible with the one defined in tag ‘85’ of DO ‘B2’
(see 7.3.3.2)
‘90’ 1 see Table 4 Biometric verification type and algorithm strength
This value shall be compatible with the one defined in tag ‘90’ of DO ‘B2’
(see 7.3.3.2)
‘91’ 2 ‘0001’ – ‘FFFF’ Estimation from the ICC of its maximum response time in milliseconds, to
be provided to the IFD
NOTE 1 “*” denotes that this variable is defined in the relevant part of the ISO/IEC 19794 series.
NOTE 2 “**” denotes that this variable is defined in the relevant parts of the ISO/IEC 19794 and ISO/IEC 29794 series.
On-card biometric comparison may require security attributes to be fulfilled as described in Clause 8.
Table 4 — Biometric verification type and discriminative power (FMR grading)
b8 b7 b6 b5 b4 b3 b2 b1 Meaning
— — — — — — x x Biometric verification type
— — — — — — 0 0 On-card biometric comparison
— — — — — — 0 1 Work-sharing on-card biometric
comparison
— — — — — — 1 0 Biometric system-on-card
a
This value is provided to enable the system designer to set different comparison
levels for different applications with the specific on-card biometric comparison
product.
10 © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
Table 4 (continued)
b8 b7 b6 b5 b4 b3 b2 b1 Meaning
— — — — — — 1 1 RFU
a
— — — x x x — — FMR claimed
— — — 0 0 0 — — No indication given
— — — 0 0 1 — — FMR grade 1 (largest)
— — — 0 1 0 — — FMR grade 2
— — — 0 1 1 — — FMR grade 3
— — — 1 0 0 — — FMR grade 4
— — — 1 0 1 — — FMR grade 5
— — — 1 1 0 — — FMR grade 6 (smallest)
— — — 1 1 1 — — RFU
x x x — — — — — RFU
a
This value is provided to enable the system designer to set different comparison
levels for different applications with the specific on-card biometric comparison
product.
A manufacturer shall declare the FMR value for their stated grading. Table 5 is an example of an FMR
grading scale.
Table 5 — Example for the FMR grading
FMR grade FMR
1 ≤0,1 %
2 ≤0,01 %
3 ≤0,001 %
4 ≤0,000 1 %
5 ≤0,000 01 %
6 ≤0,000 001 %
7.3.4 One biometric reference for multiple applications
One biometric reference for multiple applications may require for each application to have its own
biometric comparison parameters. For this requirement, a biometric reference may be excluded from
a biometric information template DO’7F60’. A file reference DO‘51’ indicating a biometric reference
may be encapsulated in a biometric data template DO‘7F2E’ under the biometric information template
DO‘7F60’. An example is provided in Annex B.
7.4 Processes
7.4.1 Enrolment
Enrolment is the process through which a biometric reference is created and stored. The enrolment
mechanism specified in ISO/IEC 7816-11 shall be implemented.
Depending on the capabilities of the ICC, signal processing may be split between the IFD and the ICC. In
all cases, all biometric data shall be transferred to the ICC through a secure and trusted channel or in a
trusted environment, guaranteeing cardholders’ privacy. It is recommended to perform a verification
test after enrolment to verify the quality of the enrolled data.
Guidance on the enrolment of the biometric data onto the ICC is contained in ISO/IEC 7816-11.
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 11
7.4.2 Biometric verification
The biometric verification mechanism specified in ISO/IEC 7816-11 shall be implemented.
7.4.3 Comparison process and result output
7.4.3.1 Comparison process
In case of work-sharing on-card biometric comparison, the last portion of the comparison process takes
place within the ICC. In any other cases, the comparison process shall fully take place within the ICC.
7.4.3.2 Decision
The decision is the result of the comparison between the biometric comparison similarity score of given
biometric data and a predefined threshold to achieve the desired security level. If the score is not less
than the predefined minimal matching score threshold, the biometric verification is successful.
7.5 Biometric comparison parameter management
This subclause defines the policies for managing the biometric comparison parameters and related
mechanisms. The following policies shall be followed.
a) The biometric comparison parameters shall define a parameter for internal quality requirements
for performing comparisons.
b) The access rules for the use case of one biometric reference for multiple applications, especially
for the context of different configurations (in particular FMR grade as defined in Table 5), shall be
defined before the first biometric verification.
c) The following biometric comparison parameters as described in 7.3.3.3 shall be considered in order
to determine the authenticity during the biometric verification:
i) minimum quality for verification;
ii) biometric verification type and discriminative power.
d) The security levels that can be achieved as a result of a positive biometric verification should
be obtained from both the biometric functionality information and the biometric comparison
parameters. The IFD shall select the security level that is required by its application before
initiating the biometric verification.
e) The biometric comparison parameters described in this subclause shall not be changed during the
on-card biometric verification.
7.6 Termination
When terminating an on-card biometric comparison application, the on-card biometric reference
pertaining only to such application shall be made inaccessible. A possible way is to set a biometric
reference as the logical erased state.
8 Security policies for on-card biometric comparison
8.1 General
This clause defines the minimum set of security policies for ICC applications using on-card biometric
comparison. As explained below, different approaches can be considered, and although some of the
policies can be common to all, there are other policies that are specific for certain approaches.
12 © ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved
Within this subclause, an overview to the different approaches is provided. Those different approaches
can be classified as:
a) Using biometric comparison parameters as global (categorised into SP1 as in 8.3). This includes the
following situations.
1) ICC with a single application that uses on-card biometric comparison.
2) ICC with multiple applications that use on-card biometric comparison with a single set of
biometric comparison parameters (i.e. same FMR grade, same retry counter, etc.).
b) Using application-specific biometric comparison parameters (categorised into SP2 as in 8.4). This
case includes the following situations.
1) Each application has its own biometric reference structure, including the biometric reference
and biometric comparison parameters such as retry counter, FMR grade and maximum value
for the retry counter etc.
2) All applications only share the same biometric reference, but each application has its own
biometric comparison parameters, which include the different FMR grades, retry counter, etc.
In this case, any changes to biometric comparison parameters will only apply to the ones for
the specific application.
NOTE The terms ‘global’ and ‘application-specific’ are used in accordance with basic security handling in
ISO/IEC 7816-4.
The following subclauses define the common security policies, the SP1 policies, and the SP2 policies.
8.2 Common security policies for on-card biometric comparison
8.2.1 Minimum security policy
In all cases the following minimum security policies apply.
— No application shall be allowed to send the biometric reference outside the ICC.
— A retry counter mechanism shall be implemented according to 8.2.3.
— The integrity of all data exchanged regarding on-card biometric comparison shall be assured.
— All biometric data shall be enciphered for transmission to the ICC, to assure confidentiality in
accordance to ISO/IEC 24761. The use of ISO/IEC 24761 is further specified in ISO/IEC 7816-11.
— The ICC operating system may have a mechanism to unblock the on-card biometric comparison. If
such is the case, the unblocking process shall reset the retry counter. The specific implementation
may additionally require a new enrolment.
8.2.2 Security requirements and biometric reference management policy
Security requirements are:
a) the biometric reference not including biometric auxiliary data and biometric comparison
parameters stored in an ICC shall not be read;
b) in order to update the biometric reference, the security rules applicable for enrolment shall apply;
c) retry counter management shall be applied to the biometric verification;
1) there may be an independent retry counter for each biometric reference;
© ISO/IEC 2018 – All rights reserved 13
2) there may be an independent retry counter for each application (i.e. if one retry counter is
expired, the retry counters for other applications referring to the same biometric data remain
unchanged);
d) the cardholder of the biometric comparison process shall be under the control of a retry counter
which determines if the verification process may continue to be used with a given biometric
reference.
8.2.3 Retry counter management
Retry counter management defines the policies for managing the retry counter mechanisms. The
policies are:
a) an initial value of the retry counter shall be associated to the on-card biometric reference;
b) if the verification fails, the retry counter shall be decremented by one and an error status that
contains the remaining attempts shall be returned by the application;
c) the number of allowed retries may be encoded in the status bytes SW1-SW2= ‘63CX’ (where X is
the remaining number) of a response to a VERIFY or PBO command where the data field is absent
according to ISO/IEC 7816-4 and ISO/IEC 7816-11;
d) if the biometric verification is successful, the retry counter is reset.
8.3 Security policies (SP1) for global biometric comparison parameters
For those applications where the biometric reference is to be used as a universal verification mechanism,
there is no need for several sets of biometric comparison parameters related to one biometric reference
for multiple applications. The following policies shall apply.
— For ICCs with multiple applications conducting on-card biome
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