What is the Crossover Error Rate (CER)?

The Crossover Error Rate (CER) is the point at which the rate of type I errors (false positives) equals the rate of type II errors (false negatives) in biometric systems. This measure is crucial for evaluating the performance of biometric systems because it indicates the balance between security and user convenience. A lower CER indicates a more effective biometric system, as it suggests that the system can accurately differentiate between authorized users and unauthorized ones with fewer errors.

In essence, achieving a low CER means that the likelihood of legitimate users being denied access is minimized (reducing false negatives), while also ensuring that unauthorized users are not incorrectly granted access (minimizing false positives). This balance is critical for the security and usability of biometric authentication systems.

The other choices do not specifically define CER. Unauthorized user access pertains to broader security concerns without the specificity of error types, while failed login attempts do not quantify the balance between false positives and false negatives. Similarly, security compliance violations are related to adherence to regulatory standards but do not tie into the error rates associated with biometric assessments.