biometric characteristic


Any distinguishing characteristics of an individual that can be measured and extracted from a biometric sample for the purpose of biometric identification. Biometric characteristics may include a fingerprint, signature, voice pattern, ear form, DNA or other distinguishing characteristic.

See “Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft” in the “Did You Know…” section of

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  • biometric data

    A general term used to refer to any computer data that is created during a biometric process. This includes samples, models, fingerprints, similarity scores and all verification or identification data excluding the individual’s name and demographics. See “How Fingerprint Scanners Work” in the “”Did You Know…” section of

  • biometric engine

    (n.) The aspect of a biometric security system that administers the biometric data during the enrollment, capture, extraction, comparison and matching stages of the process. The biometric engine is a software program that works in conjunction with the hardware devices that a biometric system uses.

  • Biometric Sample

    The data obtained by a biometric system’s capture device-such as a facial image, voice recording or a fingerprint. See “Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft” in the “Did You Know…” section of

  • biometric template

    A biometric template (also called template) is a digital reference of distinct characteristics that have been extracted from a biometric sample. Templates are used during the biometric authentication process. See “Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft” in the “Did You Know…” section of

  • Biometrics

    (n.) Biometrics generally refers to the study of measurable biological characteristics. In computer security, biometrics refers to authentication techniques that rely on measurable physical characteristics that can be automatically checked. There are several types of biometric identification schemes: face: the analysis of facial characteristics fingerprint: the analysis of an individual’s unique fingerprints hand geometry: the […]


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