CBEFF

CBEFF -- Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework

The Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework (CBEFFCBEFFBiometricISO standard for biometric data format interoperability.Click to view →), standardized as ISO/IEC 19785, defines a universal structure for packaging biometric data records so they can be exchanged between different systems, devices, and smart cards regardless of the biometric modality (fingerprint, iris, face) or vendor implementation.

Record Structure

A CBEFF Biometric Information Record (BIR) consists of three parts. The Standard Biometric Header (SBH) contains metadata: the biometric type (fingerprint, iris, face), the data format owner and type, creation date, quality score, and purpose (verification or identification). The Biometric Data Block (BDB) carries the actual biometric payload -- a biometric template or compressed image encoded according to ISO/IEC 19794 series standards. The optional Security Block (SB) provides integrity and confidentiality protection through digital signatures or AES encryption, ensuring the biometric data has not been tampered with since creation.

Smart Card Applications

CBEFF is fundamental to interoperability in smart card biometric systems. PIV cards (NIST SP 800-76) store fingerprint minutiae and facial images as CBEFF-wrapped records in specific data containers. ePassport chips (ICAO 9303) store facial, fingerprint, and iris biometric data in CBEFF-compliant Data Groups (DG2, DG3, DG4). When a border-control gate reads an ePassportePassportApplicationPassport with embedded contactless chip.Click to view →, it parses the CBEFF header to determine the biometric type and format, then routes the BDB to the appropriate matching engine -- all without vendor-specific knowledge.

Patron Formats

CBEFF supports "patron formats" that define specific profiles for particular use cases. The NIST Patron Format (NIST SP 800-76) specifies exactly which CBEFF fields PIV and CAC cards must populate. The ICAO Patron Format defines the biometric data encoding for travel documents. The ISO/IEC 24745 amendment adds biometric templatebiometric templateBiometricMathematical representation of biometric data stored on card.Click to view → protection schemes (cancelable biometrics and biometric cryptosystems) within the CBEFF framework, enabling privacy-preserving storage on smart cards where the stored template is transformed so it cannot be compared directly with templates from other systems.