AU2014274594B2 - Biometric identification method - Google Patents

Abstract

BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION METHOD Disclosed is a biometric and cryptographic processing unit (BCU) (103) including a biometric receiver, such as a sensor (104), to at least receive biometric information (105, 105a) of a user of the BCU. A biometric unit (106) of the BCU has a store of biometric information of at least one authorized user of the BCU and at least one processing function to compare received biometric information from the biometric receiver with the stored biometric information to determine if the user is an authorized user of the BCU. A cryptographic unit (107) is provided for generating and storing at least one asymmetric cryptographic public/private key pair associated with each authorized user of the BCU, the private keys being retained within the cryptographic unit and disabled in a default state, and said public keys being communicable from the BCU for public use in communicating with the BCU. At least one input/output port (109,111) is provided by which encrypted and unencrypted data is input to the BCU and from which the, unencrypted and encrypted data (respectively) is output from the BCU. The cryptographic unit is operative in response to a specific authorized user giving permission (e.g. via input device 120) to undertake a specific cryptographic operation on data input to the BCU only upon the specific authorized user being determined as an authorized user of the BCU by the biometric unit whereby a specific private key corresponding to the specific authorized user is enabled for use in said specific cryptographic operation after which, and other than which, said specific private key is disabled.