VoiceVerified® Glossary
Technology can often include jargon that isn’t readily known or easily understood. In addition to serving as a simple reference for the terms and abbreviations used throughout this site, VoiceVerified® glossary pages are also intended to provide a better understanding of the world of voice biometrics and speaker authentication and everything that it entails.
- Active Imposter Acceptance
- AFIS
- Algorithm
- API
- Authentication
- Behavioral Biometric
- Biometric Identification
- Biometric System
- Biometrics
- Call Handle Time
- Capture
- Claimant
- Credential / Credentialing
- Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI)
- Data Encryption
- Digital Certificate
- Digital Signature
- DSA
- DSS
- Embedded Audio
- Enrollment
- Equal Error Rate (EER)
- False-acceptance rate (FAR)
- False-rejection rate (FRR)
- Feature extraction
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- FFIEC
- FTC
- High Availability
- Identity Theft
- Individual Not Present / Consumer Not Present
- IVR
- Matching
- Multifactor Authentication
- Password Reset
- Payment Cards / Payment Services
- Payment Discount Fees
- Physiological Biometric
- Personal Identification Number
- Phishing
- PKI
- Press2Verify™
- Push2Verify™
- Remote Transaction
- Score
- Single Error Rates
- Speaker Identification
- Speech Recognition - See Voice Recognition
- Spoof
- Strong Authentication
- Text-Dependent System
- Text-Independent System
- Text to Speech
- Two-Factor Authentication (T-FA)
- Voice Biometrics
- Voice Recognition
- Voice Authentication / Voice Verification
- Voiceprint
- VoiceXML
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
- Active imposter acceptance
- Acceptance of a biometric sample submitted by someone attempting to gain illegal entry to a biometric system.
Back to top. - AFIS
- Automated Fingerprint Identification System. A system originally developed for use by law enforcement agencies, which compares a single fingerprint with a database of fingerprint images.
Back to top. - Algorithm
- A procedure for solving a mathematical problem in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation. Algorithms are used by biometric systems to tell whether a sample and a template are a match.
Back to top. - API
- Application Program Interface. A computer code which is a set of instructions or services used to standardize an application.
Back to top. - Authentication
- The process of establishing the validity of the user attempting to gain access to a system.
Back to top. - Behavioral Biometric
- A measurable behavior trait that is acquired over time (versus a physiological characteristic) that is used to recognize or verify the identity of a person.
Back to top. - Biometric Identification
- Biometrics identification is the automatic identification of living individuals by using their physiological and behavioral characteristics. If a pin or password is lost or forgotten it can be changed and reissued but a biometric identification cannot. Read More >
Back to top. - Biometric System
- The integrated biometric hardware and software used to conduct biometric identification or verification.
Back to top. - Biometrics
- Biometrics identify a human from a measurement of a physical feature or repeatable action of the individual. For example; hand geometry, retinal scans, iris scans, fingerprint patterns, facial characteristics, DNA sequence characteristics, voiceprints and hand written signatures are all examples of biometric measurements. Read More >
Back to top. - Call handle Time
- In a call or contact center, the time that it takes to handle a call from start to finish. Sometimes referred to as average call handling time (ACHT).
Back to top. - Capture
- The method used to take a biometric sample from a user (e.g. Phone or Microphone for Voice) The method of taking a biometric sample from the end user.
Back to top. - Claimant
- The individual, claiming a legitimate or false identity who has submitted a biometric sample for verification.
Back to top. - Credential / Credentialing
- The process of confirming the identity of someone through the use of identifying information. For example, inspecting the person’s picture IDs or having them provide information that is known only by the individual and the person doing the credentialing.
Back to top. - Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI)
- A telecommunications term that refers to the information that a telecommunications service provider would know about a customer, such as usage patterns, billing information, the specific services the customer has selected, etc. Under FCC regulations, CPNI must be protected against being given out to unauthorized persons.
Back to top. - Data encryption
- The scrambling of data so that it becomes difficult to unscramble or decipher. Scrambled data is called ciphertext, as opposed to unscrambled data, which is called plaintext. Unscrambling ciphertext is called decryption. Data encryption is done by the use of an algorithm and a key. The key is used by the algorithm to scramble and unscramble the data. The algorithm can be public (for scrutinization and analysis by the cryptographic community), but the key must be kept private.
Back to top. - Digital certificate
- In the PKI environment, the data, equivalent to an identity card, issued to a user by a CA (Certificate authority), which he/she uses during business transactions to prove his/her identity.
Back to top. - Digital signature
- The number derived by performing cryptographic operations on the text to be signed.
Back to top. - DSA
- Digital Signature Algorithm. Presented in 1991 by the NIST and patented in 1993. A publicly available one-way algorithm used to generate or verify digital signatures of a text to be signed (not to encrypt/decrypt information).
Back to top. - DSS
- Digital Signature Standard. Developed by FIPS (U.S. Federal Information Processing Standard). Adopted the DSA in the early 1990s.
Back to top. - Embedded Audio
- A method of transporting a voice sample over the Internet when recorded via a microphone or IVR system. VoiceVerified® uses embedded audio as one of the connection methods to our service to transport an enrollment or authentication session over the Internet instead of using a phone line.
Back to top. - Enrollment
- The initial process of collecting data (biometric or non-biometric) from a user and then storing it in a reference template for later comparison.
Back to top. - Equal Error Rate (EER)
- The point at which the probability of false accept is equal to probability of a false reject.
Back to top. - False-acceptance rate (FAR)
- The percentage of imposters incorrectly matched to a valid user's biometric.
Back to top. - False-rejection rate (FRR)
- The percentage of incorrectly rejected valid users.
Back to top. - Feature extraction
- The automated process of locating and encoding distinctive characteristics from a biometric sample in order to generate a template.
Back to top. - Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- The FCC was established by Congress in 1934 to govern, regulate and establish policies for all non-governmental use of the radio spectrum (including radio and television broadcasting), all interstate telecommunications (wire, satellite and cable) and all international communications that originate or terminate in the United States.
Back to top. - FFIEC
- Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) is an organization established by Congress in 1987 to coordinate and unify regulations, standards and report forms among the five member federal agencies that regulate savings institutions, commercial banks and credit unions: office of Thrift Supervision, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and National Credit Union Administration. Read More >
Back to top. - FTC
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) helps protect consumers against identity theft and other consumer-related fraud. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases that law enforcement agencies use during investigations.
Back to top. - High Availability
- High availability is a system design protocol and associated implementation that ensures a certain absolute degree of operational continuity during a given measurement period. Availability refers to the ability of the user community to access the system, whether to submit new work, update or alter existing work, or collect the results of previous work. If a user cannot access the system, it is said to be unavailable. Generally, the term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.
Back to top. - Identity Theft
- Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen often spend months or years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the mess that thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims of identity theft may lose job opportunities, be refused loans for education, housing or cars and even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Humiliation, anger and frustration are among the feelings victims experience as they navigate the process of rescuing their identity. VoiceVerified provides identity theft protection solutions. Read More >
Back to top. - Individual Not Present / Consumer Not Present
- A term referring to situations where an individual is not physically present and identification is needed to permit authorized access. Sometimes called Consumer Not Present (CNP). Typical individual not present situations include individuals who are calling in via telephone to a call center or IVR system, or attempting to connect on-line via the Internet or via remote access.
Back to top. - IVR
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a computerized system that allows a person, typically a telephone caller, to select an option from a voice menu and otherwise interface with a computer system. Generally, the system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the person presses a number on a telephone keypad to select the option chosen, or speak simple answers such as "yes," "no" or a string of numbers in answer to the voice prompts. Read More >
Back to top. - Matching
- The comparison of biometric templates to determine their degree of similarity or correlation.
Back to top. - Multifactor Authentication
- An authentication factor is a piece of information and process used to authenticate a person’s identity for security purposes. Multifactor authentication is a system wherein multiple different methods are used to authenticate the individual’s identity. Using multiple factors (as opposed to one factor) delivers a higher level of authentication assurance.
Back to top. - Password Reset
- The process of resetting a password that is lost, stolen or forgotten. Password reset typically involves first authenticating the individual requesting a password reset, then provisioning a new password, and finally notifying the requestor of the new password.
Back to top. - Payment Cards / Payment Services
- Payment Cards include credit and debit cards, gift cards, reloadable cards, telephone calling cards and other similar forms of payment via a card. Payment Services refer to all types of payments made via payment cards, checks, electronic transfers and the like.
Back to top. - Payment Discount Fees
- A payment discount fee is usually a percentage of the total payment made on a payment card, and paid by the merchant accepting the payment card. The fee paid is for the processing of the payment to transfer the funds from the payment card to the merchant.
Back to top. - Physiological Biometric
- A biometric that is characterized by a physical characteristic rather than a behavioral trait.
Back to top. - Personal Identification Number (PIN)
- A PIN is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate a user when accessing the system.
Back to top. - Phishing
- In computing, phishing (pronounced ‘fishing’) is a criminal activity where phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Back to top. - PKI
- A system of public key encryption using digital certificates from Certificate Authorities and other registration authorities that verify and authenticate the validity of each party involved in an electronic transaction.
Back to top. - Press2Verify™ Authentication Services
- Utilizing the power of the VoiceVerified PSP, users of the Internet can make excellent use of their access devices in conjunction with existing legacy networks in institutions (such as online banking systems) and the Internet. This process enables a real time authentication session from anywhere there is Internet coverage. Download Powerpoint >
Back to top. - Push2Verify™ Authentication Services
- Utilizing the power of the VoiceVerified PSP, users of mobile telephones can make excellent use of their handheld phones in conjunction with existing legacy networks in institutions (such as voice banking systems) and existing wireless telephone networks. This process enables a real time authentication session from anywhere there is wireless network coverage. Download Powerpoint >
Back to top. - Remote Transaction
- A transaction that takes place where the transacting parties are not physically in the same place, such as when made by telephone or via the Internet. Examples of remote transactions include credit card purchases via telephone or web sites, online banking, online bill paying and the like.
Back to top. - Score
- A number indicating the degree of similarity or correlation of a biometric match. This score represents the degree of correlation between the verification template and the enrollment template. There is no standard scale used for biometric scoring. Regardless of the scale employed this verification score is compared to the system’s threshold to determine the success of a verification attempt.
Back to top. - Single Error Rates
- Error rates state the likelihood of an error (false match, false non-match, or failure to enroll) for a single comparison of two biometric templates or for a single enrollment attempt.
Back to top. - Speaker Identification
- The process of determining a person's identity by performing matches against multiple voiceprint templates on a database.
Back to top. - Speech Recognition – see Voice Recognition
Back to top.- Spoof
- To capture, alter, and retransmit a communication stream in a way that misleads the recipient. As used by hackers, refers especially to altering TCP/IP packet source addresses or other packet-header data in order to masquerade as a trusted machine or user. To try to replicate a user's identification, such as the user's voice, for purposes of defeating a verification system.
Back to top. - Strong Authentication
- The use of two-factor authentication (T-FA) or multi-factor authentication to create a greater level of security for granting privileges to an application. Strong authentication combines two or more independent factors of identification, such as password (something you know), token (something you have), voice verification (something you are), fingerprint, KBA, etc.
Back to top. - Text-Dependent System
- A Biometric system that requires an individual to say a specific set of numbers or words.
Back to top. - Text-Independent System
- A Biometric system that does not require an individual to say a specific set of numbers of words and creates voiceprints from unconstrained speech.
Back to top. - Text to Speech
- The conversion of text into speech (e.g. a password can be delivered to a user over the phone using text to speech).
Back to top. - Two-Factor Authentication (T-FA)
- A specific form of multi-factor authentication which refers to the use of exactly two independent factors of identification being utilized together to create a stronger authentication than the use of a single factor, such as a password. A typical two-factor authentication could be password (something you know) combined with voice verification (something you are).
Back to top. - Voice Authentication / Voice Verification - Voice Biometrics Glossary
- Voice authentication / voice verification uses voiceprints and business rules to identify or verify a speaker.Read More >
Back to top. - Voice Biometrics
- Voice Biometrics identify an individual by identifying the features of the individual's voice. Read More >
Back to top. - Voice Recognition
- Voice Recognition, also known as speech recognition, is a technology by which sounds, words or phrases spoken by humans are converted into electrical signals. These signals are then transformed into coding patterns that can be identified by a computer as words. Based on this identification, the computer usually takes some action. Read More > See also, Voice Recognition vs. Voice Authentication.
Back to top. - Voiceprint
- A mathematical representation of the physiological characteristics of an individual’s voice. This is not a recording, but rather a representation derived through mathematical modeling of multiple vocal features. It is exceptionally difficult to reconstitute a Voiceprint thereby making it more secure than keeping an actual recorded sample for comparison.
Back to top. - VoiceXML
- A standard format used for specifying interactive voice dialogs between a human and a computer. Many commercial VoiceXML applications have been deployed, processing many millions of telephone calls per day. These applications include: order inquiry, package tracking, driving directions, emergency notification, wake-up, flight tracking, voice access to email, customer relationship management, prescription refilling, audio newsmagazines, voice dialing, real-estate information and national directory assistance applications.
Back to top. - VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
- Voice over Internet Protocol (also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband) is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based networks.
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