PC, Use Bluetooth-connected Smartphone as Authentication Device
Passes FIDO Alliance International Interoperability Tests in August and November

Domestic research team has developed Bluetooth-based simple authentication device technology using facial features as an authentication means. Through this, it is expected that more secure and convenient identity authentication will be achieved in the future.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 11th that it has developed technology enabling facial identity authentication by using a smartphone as an authentication device when authentication is required in web browsers.

Therefore, it is now possible to connect a smartphone to a PC or notebook via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and use it as an authentication device.

FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) is a new authentication system based on various biometric recognition such as fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, or facial recognition. Currently, the financial sector and others are actively using FIDO Phase 1 technology (FIDO1) applied to smartphones.

The technology developed by ETRI this time is FIDO Phase 2 technology (FIDO2). The research team has made it possible to authenticate using human biometric information in the operating system (OS) and web browser environments of PCs and notebooks. Major companies leading web browsers and OS such as Microsoft and Google are also gradually implementing FIDO2 in their own services.

Once this technology is commercialized, it is expected that strong security will be achieved through biometric authentication via smartphones in shared work environments or financial transactions. Additionally, since standard technology is used, cost savings are possible for banks and portals when building services.

Currently, FIDO2 is an external authentication device technology that supports USB, Near Field Communication (NFC), and BLE through Client-to-Authenticator Protocol (CTAP) to connect with the platform. While many authentication devices support USB or NFC, there are no authentication devices supporting BLE in Korea.

The technology developed by ETRI is technology that uses a smartphone as an authentication device by interoperating with web browsers and BLE provided by the FIDO2 standard platform. In other words, when users authenticate online on their PC or notebook, they can safely verify their identity through facial authentication using their smartphone.

The research team first developed a FIDO2-based server and passed an international interoperability test hosted by the FIDO Alliance in San Jose, USA in August this year. Additionally, they developed a FIDO2-based authentication device and passed an international interoperability test held on November 12th in Seoul with approximately 18 domestic and international security and authentication-related companies participating.

This FIDO2 authentication device is provided in two versions for Android and iOS, and has been developed to operate on most smartphones. It is also characterized by incorporating self-developed lightweight facial authentication technology, improving the convenience of user authentication.

While FIDO technology has been limited to mobile environments thus far, the technology developed by ETRI this time enables user authentication using a smartphone during online shopping and financial transactions on personal devices such as PCs or notebooks.

This technology is expected to be commercialized in the first half of next year, alongside improvements in web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Chrome.

Kim Soo-hyung, Technical Director of ETRI's Information Security Research Division, stated, "This technology is expected to be greatly utilized when combined with blockchain ID management technology currently under development, for user and device authentication using FIDO2 technology on blockchains in the future."

Jin Seung-heon, Director of ETRI's Information Security Research Division, also stated, "We expect that the FIDO2 authentication device will greatly contribute to improving Korea's authentication environment by using users' smartphones as authentication devices to authenticate users anytime, anywhere."

Meanwhile, the research team has promoted commercialization through technology transfer to 35 companies in the security and financial sectors regarding FIDO authentication technology.