ABSTRACT

Reliable user authentication is becoming an increasingly important task inthe Web-enabled

world. The consequences of an insecure authentication system ina corporate or enterprise
environment may include loss of confidential information,denial of service, and compromised
data integrity. The prevailing techniques of user authentication, which involve the use of
either passwords and user IDs(identifiers), or identification cards and PINs (personal
identification numbers),suffer from several limitations . Once an intruder acquires the user ID
and thepassword, the intruder has total access to the user's resources.Fortunately, automated
biometrics in general,
and
Fingerprint Technology
in particular, can provide a much more accurate and reliable user authenticationmethod.
Biometrics is a rapidly advancing field that is concerned with identifying aperson based on
his or her physiological or behavioral characteristics. Examples of automated biometrics
include fingerprint, face, iris, and speech recognition.Because a biometric property is an
intrinsic property of an individual, it is difficultto surreptitiously duplicate and nearly
impossible to share. The greatest strength of biometrics, the fact that the biometrics does not
change over time, is at the sametime its greatest liability. Once a set of biometric data has
been compromised, it iscompromised forever.
Fingerprint recognition
or
fingerprint authentication
refers to theautomated method of verifying a match between two human
fingerprints.Fingerprints are one of many forms of biometrics used to identify individuals
andverify their identity. The analysis of fingerprints for matching purposes generallyrequires
the comparison of several features of the print pattern. These includepatterns, which are
aggregate characteristics of ridges, and minutia points.Matching algorithms are used to
compare previously stored templates of fingerprints against candidate fingerprints for
authentication purposes. In order todo this either the original image must be directly
compared with the candidateimage or certain features must be compared.

INDEX
Content Page
Introduction..
6
Biometrics
7Finger
print authentication...
8Pattern-based and Minutia-based algorithms
...
10
Advantages of using Finger Recognition
.
11PATTERNS
..

12Biometric Finger Scanners

13IMPLEMENTATION

14Biometric vs. Non-Biometric Fingerprinting

.
15
Conclusion.. 17
Reference 18

INTRODUCTION
Biometrics
(or
biometric authentication
) consists of methods for uniquelyrecognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic,
physical or behavioral Intraits computer science, in particular, biometrics is used as
access control. It is alsoused to identify individuals in groups that are
undersurveillance.Biometriccharacteristics can be divided in two main classes:
Physiological
(fingerprint, facerecognition, iris recognition,etc) and
Behavioral
(voice, vocal tract,etc)
.
A biometric system can operate in the following two modes.In
verification
mode the system performs a one-to-one comparison of a capturedbiometric with a specific
template stored in a biometric database in order to verifythe individual is the person they
claim to be. In
Identification
mode the systemperforms a one-to-many comparison against a biometric database in attempt
toestablish the identity of an unknown individual.Fingerprint recognition identifies people by
using the impressions made bythe minute ridge formations or patterns found on the fingertips.
Finger printingtakes an image of a person's fingertips and records its characteristics
- whorls,arches, and loops are recorded along with patterns of ridges, furrows, and
minutiae.Information is processed as an image and further encoded as a computer
algorithm.Fingerprint based biometrics has primarily been used to secure entry devices
forbuilding door locks and computer network access. A small number of banks usefingerprint
readers for authorization at ATMs. Grocery stores are experimentingwith a fingerprint scan
checkout that automatically recognizes and bills a registereduser's credit card or debit

account. More recent applications of finger recognitioninclude use of fingerprints for

voter registration

Finger print authentication

Fingerprint recognition
or

fingerprint authentication
refers tothe automated method of verifying a match between twohuman
fingerprints.Fingerprints are a distinctive feature and remain invariant over thelifetime of a
subject, except for cuts and bruises. A fingerprint impression isacquired, typically using an
inkless scanner. The digital image of thefingerprint includes several unique features in terms
of ridge bifurcationsand ridge endings, collectively referred to as minutiae.A fingerprint
sensor is an electronic device used to capture a digitalimage of the fingerprint pattern. The
analysis of fingerprints for matchingpurposes generally requires the comparison of several
features of the printpattern. These include patterns, which are aggregate characteristics of
ridges,and minutia points, which are unique features found within the patterns.
PATTERNS
The three basic patterns of fingerprint ridges are the arch, loop,and whorl.An arch is a pattern
where the ridges enter from one side of thefinger, rise in the center forming an arc, and then
exit the other side of thefinger. The loop is a pattern where the ridges enter from one side of a
finger,form a curve, and tend to exit from the same side they enter. In the whorlpattern, ridges
form circularly around a central point on the finger.

Minutia features
The majorMinutiafeatures of fingerprint ridges are: ridge ending,bifurcation, and short ridge
(or dot). The ridge ending is the point at which aridge terminates. Bifurcations are points at
which a single ridge splits intotwo ridges. Short ridges (or dots) are ridges which are
significantly shorterthan the average ridge length on the fingerprint. Minutiae and patterns

arevery important in the analysis of fingerprints since no two fingers have beenshown to be
identical.
Fingerprint Sensors
A fingerprintsensoris anelectronic deviceused to capture adigitalimageof the fingerprint
pattern. The captured image is called a live scan.This live scan isdigitally processedto create a
biometric template (acollection of extracted features)which is stored and used for matching.
Algorithms
Matchingalgorithmsare used to compare previously stored templatesof fingerprints against
candidate fingerprints forauthenticationpurposes. Inorder to do this either the original image
must be directly compared with thecandidate image or certain features must be compared.

Pattern-based (or image-based) algorithms

Pattern based algorithms compare the basic fingerprint patterns (arch, whorl,and loop)
between a previously stored template and a candidate fingerprint. Thisrequires that the
images be aligned in the same orientation. To do this, thealgorithm finds a central point in the
fingerprint image and centers on that. In apattern-based algorithm, the template contains the
type, size, and orientation of patterns within the aligned fingerprint image. The candidate
fingerprint image isgraphically compared with the template to determine the degree to which
theymatch.
Minutia-based algorithms
Minutia based algorithms compare several minutia points (ridge ending