There are several techniques that can be applied for verifying and confirming a user’s identity. They can be broadly classified as below:

• Something the user knows, such as a password or PIN
• Something the user has, such as a smart card or ATM card
• Something that’s part of the user, such as a fingerprint or iris. The strongest authentication involves a combination of all three

The technology used for identification of a user based on a physical characteristic, such as a fingerprint, iris, face, voice or handwriting is called Biometrics.

Advancements in technology has made possible to build rugged and reliable Biometric authentication systems, and the costs of biometrics authentication systems have been dropping as reliability is improving.

The key steps involved in a biometric authentication system are:

• Image capture – Using scanning devices available in the market
• Image recognition - Using standard algorithms
• Template creation - Using standard algorithms
• Matching – Using application and standard algorithms