Researchers shout about new security system

According to new research, voice recognition systems could be the key to cutting internet crime

Individual voice patterns could prove to be the next level in security

Results from a team based at the University of Hertfordshire suggest that a mechanism for identifying individuals through features in their voice could prove to be a reliable type of biometric.

Dr Aladdin Ariyaeeinia of the University’s School of Electronic Communication & Electrical Engineering, said: “Voice biometrics has the advantage of being useful in areas where you cannot use other biometrics. For instance, the increase in the use of online and telephone banking is expected to lead to the deployment of voice biometrics as an additional means of security.”

Dr Ariyaeeinia also hopes that the system could be used to verify individuals’ identities when they try to access cash machines. He said: “The technique we have developed works well in different environments because it encompasses methods to reduce the effects of background noise.”

The system works by comparing a vocal input to a reference voice and scoring how well they match. “The process of verifying a claimant will result in a match score. This represents the similarity of the user’s voice to the reference material for the identity being claimed. The University’s method operates in such a way that when the claimant is an impostor, his or her verification score will be suppressed in relation to those for genuine claimants,” explained Dr Ariyaeeinia.

Dr Ariyaeeinia’s team is now looking to fuse their voice recognition system with other forms of biometrics to create a security system with increased levels of reliability.