KoolSpan U: Weekly Word Wednesday – Bifurcation

Generally speaking, a bifurcation is the place where something divides into two branches. However, in the field of biometrics, which is used in cyber security as a form of identification and access control, a bifurcation refers to a point in an image taken from finger-scanning at which two ridges meet. The number of bifurcations and the locations of each, which vary depending on the person and the specific finger, can be stored as numerical coordinates, resulting in a unique function.

This function is often stored in large databases so that fingerprints can quickly be compared with finger images from places all over the world. These bifurcations make it possible to use characteristic traits of the human body to serve as a type of authentication check, as many are now using with new iPhone 5S finger scanner. Koolspan’s TrustChip not only secures the iPhone, but also the majority of mobile devices on the market by utilizing bifurcations to add an extra layer of security, resulting in the desired multifactor authentication, which we discussed in last week’s post.

Francis Knott

Francis Knott has over 17 years of mobility, technology, interactive media, software and healthcare experience. Mr Knott is an expert at building companies, growing revenue and launching and marketing new products. In the past, he has worked in software and product development, mobile social media, and mobile applications development.