Fingerprint Scanning: Decryption of Fingerprint

What is Fingerprint?

Simply one can understand the definition of fingerprint as,

A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger.

Fingerprint

Scientists have believed that the purpose of our fingerprints is to improve our ability to grip objects. 

Principle: Fingerprint Scanner

Typical fingerprint readers use the principle of capacitance as trackpads and touchscreens.

We'll know that they typically function by detecting the difference in charge, 

Between the lower layer of our skin i.e, conductive and the phone screen

Working:

Fingerprint readers adopt this concept for personal identification by cramming the loss of tiny conductive plates into space just below the scanner surface. 

They're narrower than the ridges that make up our fingerprints.

Fingerprint Sensor

Whenever we position our fingertip over the reader, 

Sensors identify which portions of our finger the ridges are touching the sensor

Also, the small valleys are further away from the sensor which decreases the capacitance of the tiny place that picks up the reader. 

Furthermore, these differences in capacitance help in the formation of the virtual images of the ridges of our fingerprint. 

Introductory Image of Scanner:

The scanners have been on phones since 2007. 

We took off when Apple released touch ID with the iPhone 5s in 2013. 

iPhone

However, there are other types of fingerprint readers too 

Optical Scanners: Use visible light to capture a more traditional image of our fingertips. 

Ultrasonic Fingerprint Readers: They have the potential to be the next big thing.

The working is somewhat similar to a bats echolocation. 

They work out the shapes of objects in the dark ultrasonic pulses emanate from the reader and hit the ridges of your fingerprints. 

Variations in the return signal are used to construct a scan ultrasonic sensors

Pros & Cons: 

While many people originally the fingerprint sensors is a highly secure technology.

How the scanner on your phone works? 

Even though you don't place your finger on it in the same position every time.

They only require a good-enough partial match to decided our finger

Thus allowing us to recognize ourselves from many different angles. 

But it also means there's a small chance of a false positive and even though master fingerprints are typically secured.  

Apple encrypts the touch ID fingerprint and stores it locally

It's still possible to defeat fingerprint readers using artificial moles that can be created.

While the technology is super convenient.

Some loop-holes have led most smartphone operating systems to also require a password or PIN. 

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