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• Biometric Authentication System installed in the Saga Prefectural Office Electronic Prefectural Office System
  
  -- The first implementation in a Japanese Prefecture of a biometric authentication system which manages system access from the computer terminal of every employee --

2005.09.15

Biometric Authentication System installed in the Saga Prefectural Office Electronic Prefectural Office System

-- The first implementation in a Japanese Prefecture of a biometric authentication system which manages system access from the computer terminal of every employee --

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (below, NTT West; Head office: Osaka city, Osaka; President: Shunzo Morishita) and NTT Comware Corporation (below, NTT Comware; Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yuhji Imai) have completed the joint installation of a biometric authentication system within the electronic prefectural office systems of the Saga Prefectural Office (Saga City, Saga Prefecture; Saga Prefecture Governor: Yasushi Furukawa) which becomes operational as of today (September 15th).
The purpose of this system is to serve as a protective measure for personal information handled by the prefectural office. In order to ensure the security of the networked electric prefectural office system, this system incorporates NTT Comware's enterprise fingerprint authentication system e-UBF (*). The Saga Prefectural Office is the first in any Japanese prefecture to adopt a biometric authentication system to manage system access from the computer terminals of every prefectural office employee.

[Background]

• Until now, within the Saga Prefectural Office, ID/Password checks were used to authenticate the identity of employees prior to the granting of access to the networked electronic prefectural office system (which includes an electronic document system and an electronic application system). However, ID/passwords can be forgotten or appropriated by non-employees, so in order to improve the security of stored personal information, it was determined that authentication procedures that provided a higher level of security were essential.

[Special features of this system]

1. Simplifies authentication procedures
   This system simplifies complex authentication procedures because fingerprints are authenticated simply by sliding the finger over a sensor. In addition, the system also eliminates the need for responses normally required when a password is forgotten or an IC card is lost.
2. Eliminates enrolment rejection
   This system utilizes frequency analysis, an authentication method which eliminates enrolment rejection-the situation that occurs when biometric data cannot be registered for authentication purposes for reasons such as the peculiarity of biometric data-and which allows the approximately 5000 prefectural office employees to authenticate their identity simply by sliding their finger over a thermal sensor. The occurrence of enrollment rejection during biometric (fingerprint) authentication procedures conducted meant that up until now, biometric authentication procedures had to be conducted in conjunction with an ID/password or IC card check.
3. Takes privacy-related issues into consideration
   The data used for conducting authentication is not biometric data such as fingerprint images. Instead, data from the conversion of the cross-sections of the ridges found on the surface of the skin into wave-form numeric data is utilized, a feature which takes privacy issues related to the handling of biometric information (more specifically, the anxiety related to the entrustment of personal biometric information as data to third parties) into consideration.
4. Eliminates risk of fingerprint forgeries
   The sensor does not require users to press their fingerprints directly against it. Instead, this system uses a sweep-type sensor which requires users to slide their fingers across its surface. This eliminates the possibility of residual fingerprints being left on the sensor, which in turn eliminates the risk of residual fingerprints being collected illegally or being used to create forged fingerprints.

[Company roles]

1. NTT West
   - Proposals, sales, design, construction and development of system
   - Maintenance and operation of system
   
2. 2. NTT Comware
   - Provision of e-UBF, technical and implementation support
   

* Higher levels of security than that gained from password authentication can be achieved by switching from password to biometric (fingerprint) authentication. e-UBF can be utilized for log-on authentication, application access control, room access control and employee attendance management.

The information shown in this page is the latest as of the day of the release. It is subject to change without further notice. Thank you for your kind understanding and consideration. PageTop