Accurate and automatic identification and authentication of users is a fundamental problem in network environments. Shared secrets such as PINs or passwords and key devices like smart cards just are not enough in some cases. What is needed is something that could verify that you are physically the person you claim to be - biometrics. Biometric identification technologies have been associated generally with very costly top secure applications. Today the core technologies have evolved and the cost of the equipment is going down dramatically due to the integration and increasing processing power. Certain applications of biometric identification technology are now cost-effective, reliable and highly accurate. As a result, there is no technological or finance-al barriers for stepping from the pilot projects to widespread deployment. This paper introduces the biometric technologies and the problematics incorporated.
