US-based HID Global launched its Lumidigm V371 biometric fingerprint and smart card reader in South Africa in September.

The Lumidigm V371 system measures fingerprint and capillary network biometrics and matches these to the known details of the person to provide identification verification.

This type of biometric-validation system will become increasingly common as the smart identity cards are rolled out in the country, replacing the older identity documents, says high technology firm HID Global biometric solutions business development VP Greg Sarrail.

While most citizens in South Africa only have the booklet identity document, the roll-out of smart identity cards is progressing steadily, with about two-million people with smart identity cards to date. Commercial banks have been drafted into the process to accelerate the biometric enrolment and smart card roll-out, says information security company LAWTrust solutions director Maeson Maherry.

“We will steadily see more biometric cards being used as the main form of identification, and the benefits include better security features, which proportionally reduce the chances of identity theft and fraud,” he says.

Further, multiple layers of security and identity verification can be deployed using the smart card system, which will allow for increasingly robust identity verification matched to the increasing sensitivity of the process or application in question.

“The chip in the cards will contain the biometric details of the person and offline verification can be done using these details. The chip is secure and the information is protected against tampering. The biometric details of people are captured and loaded prior to their receiving the smart identity cards,” Maherry explains.

However, for higher-sensitivity functions, he says the biometric details of a person can be matched against the details on the card and the details stored the Department of Home Affairs’ database, which provides additional security.

Active verification of the biometric details contained on the cards with details contained on secure databases – either from Home Affairs or enterprise databases – can also be done for first-time identity verification during registration. However, the aim of the system is to enable secure offline verification in areas that have intermittent or unreliable connectivity, Maherry highlights.

Further, the Lumidigm system can be used for employee management, and can also be tied directly to electronic signatures and authorisation processes in companies, with the level of security and the required identification- verification process matched to the sensitivity of the function in question, says Sarrail.