A wavelet-based 128-bit key generator using electrocardiogram signals

In this paper, we present a wavelet-based 128-bit key generator using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The key generator comprises two independent stages, namely, enrollment and verification-generation. In the latter, an algorithm for determining the keys is also proposed. This work is based on the uniqueness and quasi-stationary behavior of ECG signals with respect to an individual. This lets to consider the ECG signal as a biometric characteristic and guarantees that different keys are released to different individuals. The performance of the proposed key generator is assessed using ECG signals from MIT-BIH database. Simulation results show a false accept rate (FAR) of 22.3% and a false reject rate (FRR) of 18.1%. The 128-bit key released by the generator proposed in this work can be used in several encryption algorithms.