Invertible watermarking algorithm with detecting locations of malicious manipulation for biometric image authentication

In this paper, we present a new method for authentication of biometric images. Our method uses an invertible watermark that can also detect malicious manipulations simultaneously. While virtually all watermarking schemes introduce a small amount of non-invertible distortion in original biometric images, our new method is invertible in the sense that, if the data is deemed authentic, distortion due to authentication can be removed if it becomes necessary to obtain the original biometric image. This technique provides cryptographic strength when verifying image integrity because the probability of making an undetectable modification to the image can be directly related to a secure cryptographic element, such as a hash function. Also, if the biometric image is manipulated, the positions of intentional manipulation can be clearly identified.