JP2006120116A - Device and method for identification, and program for realizing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an identification device which makes it extremely hard for a third party to impersonate a user and makes it unnecessary for the user to memorize a password. <P>SOLUTION: Digital image data obtained by a camera 10 of a portable communication terminal 1 is preliminarily stored in a storage means 23 of the authentication device 2 and the digital image data which is the same as the stored one is transmitted from the portable communication terminal 1 in place of the password consisting of character strings in identification. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an authentication device for confirming whether or not a user has a proper use authority when using various devices and functions.

  Using the Latin ubiquitous word, which means that God exists at the same time, the information processing function and the communication function are incorporated in everything around us and connected to each other, so that anyone can access various information anytime, anywhere. The concept of a ubiquitous network has been proposed.

  In addition to operating a remote computer from your computer, you can use the hot water heater with a mobile phone from the outside to fill the bathtub with the appropriate temperature so that you can take a bath immediately after returning home. It also includes functions for operating home devices such as.

  The ubiquitous network has the potential to greatly improve the convenience of daily life, but on the other hand, if someone else operates a computer or household device without permission, you can see the records of friendships and financial transactions. There are also great dangers such as infringement of privacy and property, and sudden hot water from the shower suddenly threatens the safety of family life.

  In order to avoid such a risk, authentication is performed to confirm whether or not the user has a proper authority to use a computer or a device.

As an authentication method, a technique in which a password consisting of a character string desired by a user is stored in an authentication device in advance and the password is input when operating the device is widely known. A technique for capturing and transmitting a facial photograph of the person, extracting features such as the face outline, the position of the eyes and nose, and the shape from the transmitted photograph and comparing them with pre-registered characteristics (for example, Patent Document 1) See also).
JP 2003-284141 A

  However, password authentication has a problem in that if a password is looked into during an input operation and stored in a third party, the third party can easily impersonate a user and succeed in authentication. In addition, if a password is assumed by generating a brute force character string and authentication is attempted sequentially, a third party can identify the password in a relatively short time and impersonate the user. is there. In order to prevent these, it is necessary to make the character string constituting the password sufficiently long. However, in such a case, another problem that the user cannot remember the password himself / herself occurs.

  On the other hand, the technology for transmitting facial photos, extracting features, and authenticating cannot deny the risk of misauthentication by determining that a user is someone else, or conversely, determining that another person is a user. There is a big problem.

  The authentication device of the present invention is made in order to realize an authentication device that solves the above-mentioned problems and it is extremely difficult for a third party to impersonate the user and the user does not need to memorize a password. Read and store digital image data captured by a mobile communication terminal with a function in advance, and determine whether authentication is successful based on whether the data supplied via the communication line matches the stored digital image data It is configured to do.

  The authentication apparatus according to the present invention reads and stores digital image data captured by a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone with a camera function in advance, and does not perform recognition processing when performing authentication. Since the data supplied via the digital image data and the previously stored digital image data are directly compared and the success or failure of the authentication is determined based on whether or not they match, the user can use the digital image captured by the portable communication terminal. Data can be stored in advance in an authentication device instead of a password consisting of a character string, and authentication can be performed simply by transmitting the same image data at the time of authentication.

  Digital image data obtained by shooting does not cause a slight deviation in the angle of view or the position of the subject, and it is virtually impossible to re-shoot the subject so that the brightness and color of the subject are exactly the same. Even when the photographed image is looked into by a third party, there is an excellent effect that it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the third party from impersonating the user.

  In addition, since the data length of the image data is orders of magnitude larger than a character string of about several tens of characters that is usually used for passwords, even if the authentication data is generated brute force, the digital image data captured by the user is not captured. The effect is that it is extremely difficult for a third party to find.

  Furthermore, there is an effect that the user does not need to remember a long password.

  The user can easily perform these effects on anyone who aims for the ubiquitous network without being asked to be aware of the password by others or being asked to memorize a long password, that is, an image. Can be enjoyed only by a simple operation of transmitting.

  Also, since the success or failure of authentication is determined by comparing the digital image data as they are, it is determined that the legitimate user is someone else, as in the case of determining the success or failure of the feature extraction from the image data, There is no problem of misidentifying another person as a user.

  The authentication device according to the first aspect of the present invention reads and stores in advance digital image data photographed by a mobile communication terminal with a camera function, and does the data supplied via the communication line match the stored digital image data? The configuration is such that the success or failure of the authentication is determined based on whether or not the authentication is successful.

  Digital image data obtained by shooting does not cause a slight deviation in the angle of view or the position of the subject, and it is virtually impossible to re-shoot the subject so that the brightness and color of the subject are exactly the same. Even when the photographed image is looked into by a third party, it can be well prevented that the third party impersonates the user.

  In addition, since the data length of the image data is orders of magnitude larger than a character string of about several tens of characters that is usually used for passwords, even if the authentication data is generated brute force, the digital image data captured by the user is not captured. The effect is that it is extremely difficult for a third party to find.

  Furthermore, there is an effect that the user does not need to remember a long password.

  The user can easily perform these effects on anyone who aims for the ubiquitous network without being asked to be aware of the password by others or being asked to memorize a long password, that is, an image. Can be enjoyed only by a simple operation of transmitting.

  Also, since the success or failure of authentication is determined by comparing the digital image data as they are, it is determined that the legitimate user is someone else, as in the case of determining the success or failure of the feature extraction from the image data, There is no problem of misidentifying another person as a user.

  Since the authentication device of the second invention is provided with a reading means for reading the digital image data from the portable communication terminal without going through the communication line, when the digital image data is stored in the authentication device, the communication line is intercepted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the risk that the digital image data will be known to a third party.

  In the authentication device of the third invention, in the second invention, since the reading means is configured to read the digital image data from the portable communication terminal through a dedicated connection line or near field communication, the digital image data is stored in the authentication device. In this case, it is possible to satisfactorily realize an authentication device that prevents the risk of digital image data being known to a third party due to interception of a communication line.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the authentication device according to the second aspect, wherein the portable communication terminal stores the digital image data in a removable storage medium, and the reading means reads the digital image data directly by mounting the storage medium. Therefore, when the digital image data is stored in the authentication device, it is possible to satisfactorily realize an authentication device that prevents the risk that the digital image data will be known to a third party by intercepting the communication line.

  The authentication device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is configured to include update recommendation means for prompting to store new digital image data when a predetermined time has elapsed after storing the digital image data. Encourage users to change data regularly.

  In the case of a password consisting of a character string, it is a heavy burden on the user to change the password frequently and store it without fail.

  However, in the authentication device according to the present invention, the user does not need to store the password by himself / herself, but simply stores the digital image data of a photograph newly taken by the mobile communication terminal in the authentication device. In addition, since photos that were taken during weekend dating and photos of growth records of infants can be used for authentication, it can be used for authentication. The image data can be changed frequently to ensure further safety against unauthorized operation by a third party.

  An authentication method according to a sixth aspect of the invention includes a storage step of reading and storing digital image data captured by a mobile communication terminal with a camera function, data supplied via a communication line, and a digital image stored in the storage step. A determination step for determining success or failure of authentication based on whether or not they match, so that the user stores the digital image data captured by the mobile communication terminal in advance in the authentication device instead of a password consisting of a character string. In addition, at the time of authentication, authentication can be performed simply by transmitting the same image data.

  Digital image data obtained by shooting does not cause a slight deviation in the angle of view or the position of the subject, and it is virtually impossible to re-shoot the subject so that the brightness and color of the subject are exactly the same. Even when the photographed image is looked into by a third party, there is an excellent effect that it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the third party from impersonating the user.

  In addition, since the data length of the image data is orders of magnitude larger than a character string of about several tens of characters that is usually used for passwords, even if the authentication data is generated brute force, the digital image data captured by the user is not captured. The effect is that it is extremely difficult for a third party to find.

  Furthermore, there is an effect that the user does not need to remember a long password.

  The user can easily perform these effects on anyone who aims for the ubiquitous network without being asked to be aware of the password by others or being asked to memorize a long password, that is, an image. Can be enjoyed only by a simple operation of transmitting.

  Also, since the success or failure of authentication is determined by comparing the digital image data as they are, it is determined that the legitimate user is someone else, as in the case of determining the success or failure of the feature extraction from the image data, There is no problem of misidentifying another person as a user.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a storage step of reading and storing digital image data captured by a mobile communication terminal with a camera function, data supplied via a communication line, and a digital image stored in the storage step. And a determination step for determining success or failure of authentication based on whether or not they match, so that the authentication device having the above-described excellent effect can be realized in terms of hardware by a central processing unit (so-called CPU), memory, storage The information processing apparatus can be configured as a general-purpose information processing apparatus including an apparatus and an input / output device, and can be realized by operating these hardware resources in a cooperative manner in software. Then, a program can be distributed via a recording medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk or a communication line such as the Internet, and a new function can be easily added or a function can be updated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an authentication system using the authentication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the mobile communication terminal 1 includes a camera 10, a storage unit 11 that stores digital image data, and a communication unit 12. The mobile communication terminal 1 is realized by, for example, a camera-equipped mobile phone equipped with a browser that can access the Internet.

  The authentication device 2 is realized by using a reading means 20 for reading digital image data from the mobile communication terminal 1, a display means 21 comprising a liquid crystal display, a push button 22, and a non-volatile memory, and a memory for storing the digital image data. Means 23, communication means 24, and comparison means 25 for comparing the data received by the communication means 24 with the digital image data stored in the storage means 23.

  3 is a remotely operated device such as a computer or home appliance, and 4 is a communication line. The Internet is used for the communication line 4.

  The storage means 11 and the reading means 20 are connected by a dedicated connection line 6.

  2 to 4 are flowcharts showing the operation of the authentication device 2.

  Next, the operation and action will be described.

  Prior to use of the authentication device 2, the user takes a picture using the camera 10 of the mobile communication terminal 1.

  The photographed photograph is stored in the storage means 11 as digital image data in JPEG format.

  Thereafter, the reading unit 20 of the authentication device 2 and the storage unit 11 of the mobile communication terminal 1 are connected by the dedicated connection line 6 and the authentication device 2 is activated.

  The operation of the authentication device 2 differs depending on whether the authentication device 2 is activated without being connected with the memory device 11 connected to the reading device 20 via the dedicated connection line 6.

  When activated, the authentication device 2 executes step S1 of FIG. 2 and determines whether or not the storage unit 11 is connected to the reading unit 20. If the result of determination is that the storage means 11 is connected, step S2, which is a process of reading out and storing digital image data from the storage means 11, is executed. If not connected, step S3, which is a process for executing authentication, is executed.

  Hereinafter, the contents of step S2 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  The reading means 20 in the authentication device 2 executes step S20, checks the number of digital image data stored in the storage means 11 through the dedicated connection line 6, and sets the number of digital image data to N.

  Thereafter, in step S21, it is determined whether or not the value of N is greater than zero. If the value of N is greater than 0, the process proceeds to step S22. Otherwise, the process ends. That is, when one or more pieces of digital image data are stored in the storage unit 11, the process proceeds to step S22, and when no sheet is stored, the process is terminated.

  In step S22, the value of variable J is set to 1.

  In step S 23, the reading unit 20 reads the Jth digital image data from the storage unit 11 through the dedicated connection line 6 and displays it on the display unit 21. Further, the number J and the number N representing the number of digital image data are displayed below the digital image data by being separated by “/”. For example, when 15 pieces of digital image data are stored in the storage means 11, N = 15 and J = 1, so “1/15” is displayed below the first digital image data. .

  Proceeding to step S24, the reading means 20 waits until 2 seconds have passed. However, whether or not the push button 22 is pressed while waiting is automatically recorded and can be checked later.

  Then, it progresses to step S25 and it is determined whether the pushbutton 22 was pressed down for 2 seconds. If not (determination result is NO), the process proceeds to step S26. If depressing (determination result is YES), the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S26, the value of J is incremented by one.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S27, where J and N are compared. If the value of J is smaller than or equal to N (determination result is NO), the process returns to step S23. On the other hand, if the value of J is greater than N (the determination result is YES), the process returns to step 22, and after J = 1 again, step S23 is executed.

  By the above operation, the digital image data stored in the storage unit 11 is sequentially displayed on the display unit 21 in a page turning manner every 2 seconds while the user presses the push button 22. Become.

  If the user presses the push button 22, the determination result is YES in Step 25, and the process proceeds to Step S28.

  In step S28, the J-th digital image data, that is, the digital image data currently displayed on the display means 21 is stored in the storage means 23. If digital image data is already stored in the storage means 23, the previously stored digital image data is erased and new digital image data is stored. After this storage, the process ends.

  Accordingly, the reading means 20 sequentially reads out the digital image data stored in the storage means 11 every 2 seconds and displays them on the display means 21 until the user presses the push button 22, and the user presses the push button 22. Then, the digital image data displayed on the display means 21 is stored in the storage means 23.

  In this way, one of the digital image data stored in the storage unit 11 is stored in the storage unit 23.

  Thereafter, the storage unit 11 and the reading unit 20 are disconnected, and the authentication device 2 is restarted.

  Next, an operation and an effect when the mobile communication terminal 1 accesses the authentication device 2 and performs authentication will be described.

  When the user wants to remotely operate the operated device 3, the user connects to the communication line 4 using the browser function of the mobile communication terminal 1 and designates the IP address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the authentication device 2. To connect to the authentication device 2. For this connection, it is desirable to use an encrypted TCP connection such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer).

  The user thereafter stores the storage means in the authentication device 2 out of the digital image data previously captured by the camera 10 and stored in the storage means 11 in the same manner as transmitting the digital image data with the mobile phone. The data stored in 23 is selected and transmitted to the authentication device 2 via the communication means 12 and the communication line 4.

  The authentication device 2 activated without connecting the storage unit 11 executes step S3 in FIG.

  The contents of step S3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In step 30 of FIG. 4, the communication unit 24 in the authentication device 2 receives data from the mobile communication terminal 1 and supplies the data to the comparison unit 25. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, this data is represented by R.

  In step 31, when the data R is supplied, the comparison means 25 reads the digital image data stored in the storage means 23. Hereinafter, the read digital image data is represented by D for convenience of explanation.

  Proceeding to step 32, the comparing means 25 compares the received data R with the read digital image data D.

  As a result of the comparison, if R and D completely match (determination result is YES), it is determined that the authentication is successful, and the process proceeds to step S33, and the communication between the portable communication terminal 1 and the operated device 3 is relayed to the communication unit 24. Let That is, the IP packet transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 1 is passed to the operated device 3, and the IP packet transmitted from the operated device 3 is passed to the mobile communication terminal 1. As a result, the operated device 3 can be remotely operated from the mobile communication terminal 1. On the other hand, if R and D do not match (determination result is NO), it is determined that the authentication has failed, and the processing is terminated without causing the communication unit 24 to relay communication.

  As described above, when the data transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 1 completely matches the digital image data stored in the storage unit 23, the authentication device 2 determines that the authentication has been successful and the mobile communication terminal 1 If the operation of the operated device 3 is permitted and the two do not match, the operation of the operated device 3 is not permitted because the authentication has failed.

  According to the present embodiment, authentication is performed using the digital image data captured by the camera 10, so that even if the image displayed on the mobile communication terminal 1 is looked into by a third party, the image data is stored in the angle of view. It is virtually impossible to re-photograph the subject so that the brightness and color of the subject are exactly the same, and it is possible to prevent a third party from impersonating the user. it can.

  In addition, the data length of digital image data is orders of magnitude larger than a character string of about several tens of characters that is usually used for passwords. Since it is extremely difficult for a third party to find out, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the third party from becoming a user.

  Furthermore, there is an effect that the user does not have to remember a long password.

  The user can easily perform these effects on anyone who aims for the ubiquitous network without being asked to be aware of the password by others or being asked to memorize a long password, that is, an image. Can be enjoyed only by a simple operation of transmitting.

  Further, the digital image data photographed by the mobile communication terminal 1 is read out from the storage means 11 via the dedicated connection line 6 and stored in the storage means 23 without passing through the communication line 4, so that the digital image data is stored in the storage means 23. There is no fear that the digital image data will be known to a third party by intercepting the communication line 4.

  Furthermore, even if the mobile communication terminal 1 is lost, a new mobile communication terminal 1 is purchased, and after taking a picture, the storage means 11 and the reading means 20 are connected and the authentication device 2 is restarted. Since the digital image data used for authentication can be changed, it is very easy to change the lost mobile communication terminal 1 so that authentication from the lost mobile communication terminal 1 fails and the new mobile communication terminal 1 can succeed in authentication.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the storage unit 23 stores only one digital image data has been described as an example. However, when a plurality of users use the authentication device 2, each user stores the digital image data in the storage unit 23. When storing the image data, a user identifier is input using a keyboard (not shown) or the like, and stored in the storage means 23 in association with the digital image data. At the time of authentication, the user is allowed to transmit a set of digital image data corresponding to the user identifier from the mobile communication terminal 1, and the digital image data stored in the storage unit 23 in association with the transmitted user identifier, What is necessary is just to make it the comparison means 25 compare with the data transmitted from the communication terminal 1. FIG. In this way, it is possible to individually authenticate a plurality of users.

  If it is difficult to use an encrypted protocol such as SSL for communication between the portable communication terminal 1 and the authentication device 2 via the communication line 4, the digital image data is transferred from the storage unit 11 to the communication unit 12. Before the data is supplied, encryption such as replacement of a data string or addition of random numbers is performed in advance, and the comparison means 25 decrypts the encrypted data received by the communication means 24 and then stores the digital data stored in the storage means 23. Of course, it may be compared with the image data.

  Further, the digital image data stored in the storage means 11 and the storage means 23 need not be limited to still images, and may be moving images expressed in a format such as MPEG.

  Further, when the authentication device 2 is installed outside the user's daily life space such as at home or at work, the digital image data is also stored when the reading means 20 stores the digital image data captured by the mobile communication terminal 1. Although it may be transmitted via the communication line 4, in that case, it is desirable to use a dedicated communication line that is not subjected to high-level encryption processing or fear of being intercepted.

  Also, reading digital image data from the storage means 11 to the reading means 20 is difficult to intercept from the outside, instead of connecting them with the dedicated connection line 6, optical communication such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. This may be performed by short-range wireless communication using the weak radio waves. Alternatively, the storage unit 11 may be constituted by a removable nonvolatile memory, the storage unit 11 may be detached from the portable communication terminal 1 and attached to the reading unit 20 to directly read the digital image data. Even in this case, since the digital image data photographed by the mobile communication terminal 1 can be stored in the storage means 23 without going through the communication line 4, the digital image data which is data to be compared at the time of authentication is stored in the storage means 23. In this case, it is possible to avoid the fear of being informed to a third party by intercepting the communication line.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an authentication system using the authentication device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 5, the authentication device 5 includes a reading unit 50 instead of the reading unit 20, a storage unit 53 instead of the storage unit 23, and a timer 56, as compared with the authentication device 2 in the first embodiment. The only difference is that it further includes an update recommendation means 57 for recommending that the digital image data stored in the storage means 53 is updated. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as Embodiment 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Next, the operation and action will be described.

  In the initial state, the storage means 53 stores digital image data having a vertical size of 8 pixels and a horizontal size of 8 pixels, which is entirely black, as an initial value.

  The reading unit 50 reads the digital image data from the storage unit 11 and stores it in the storage unit 53. Unlike the reading unit 20 in the first embodiment, the reading unit 50 stores the digital image data prior to step S20 in FIG. Read digital image data.

  Further, prior to displaying an image on the display means 21, the J-th image data stored in the storage means 11 is compared with the digital image data previously read from the storage means 53, and the two are different. Steps S23, S24, and S25 are executed only for step S26, and if they match, step S26 is executed. That is, only the digital image data stored in the storage means 11 is displayed on the display means 21 that is different from that stored in the storage means 53, and matches the data stored in the storage means 53. Is not displayed.

  In step 28, the digital image data is stored in the storage means 53 instead of being stored in the storage means 23. Other operations of the reading unit 50 are the same as the operations of the reading unit 20 in the first embodiment.

  The storage means 53 supplies a reset signal to the timer 56 when the digital image data is stored. Other operations of the storage means 53 are the same as the operations of the storage means 23 in the first embodiment.

  The timer 56 counts the elapsed time starting from when the reset signal is supplied from the storage means 53. The measured elapsed time is always supplied to the update recommendation means 57.

  The update recommendation unit 57 determines whether or not the elapsed time supplied from the timer 56 exceeds a predetermined time. For example, when the predetermined time is 168 hours (one week), it is determined whether or not the elapsed time supplied from the timer 56 exceeds 168 hours. If the elapsed time exceeds 168 hours, a message prompting the user to read a new photo from the mobile communication terminal 1 and store it in the authentication device 2 is displayed on the display means 21. On the other hand, when the elapsed time is equal to 168 or less than 168 hours, this display is not performed.

  Since the operations and effects of the other components are the same as those of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, the authentication device 2 recommends the user to update the digital image data stored in the storage means 53 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the last read of the digital image data. Further, as candidates for digital image data to be newly stored in the storage means 53, those already stored in the storage means 53 among those stored in the storage means 11 in the mobile communication terminal 1 are excluded. It is displayed on the display means 21 to prevent the same digital image data from being repeatedly stored in the storage means 53.

  As a safety measure in the event that authentication data such as a password is leaked to a third party, it has been conventionally recommended to periodically change the authentication data, but in the case of passwords consisting of character strings, it is frequently changed. However, it is a heavy burden on the user to memorize it definitely. For this reason, the user ignores the recommendation to change the password, or adds a number to the end of the fixed character string as the password, increases the number at the end one by one, and creates a new password. May not lead to an improvement in security when authentication data is leaked.

  However, in the authentication device 2, the user does not need to store the password himself, and the authentication device 2 may simply store the digital image data of the photograph taken by the mobile communication terminal 1. Furthermore, since photos that were taken during a weekend date and photos of growth records of infants can be used for authentication, it is not only accompanied by a mental burden, but rather fun and proactive, The digital image data used for authentication can be updated frequently, and further safety can be secured against unauthorized operation by a third party.

  Also, even if the same object is photographed multiple times, the bit sequence of the digital image data representing the photograph will be completely different due to a slight difference in the angle of view and light exposure. It is very difficult to guess the authentication data.

  Each means described in the above embodiment is configured as a general-purpose information processing device including a central processing unit (so-called CPU), a memory, a storage device, and an input / output device in terms of hardware. You may implement | achieve like a software with the program which carries out resource cooperation operation | movement. In this way, a program can be distributed via a recording medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk or a communication line such as the Internet, and a new function can be easily added or a function can be updated.

  The present invention can be widely used for authentication of information equipment including financial transactions in banks, securities companies, and the like. In addition, remote control of home appliances such as air conditioning equipment, remote recording reservation of video recorders and DVD recorders, remote control and remote monitoring of crime prevention equipment such as surveillance cameras, etc. Available to:

Configuration diagram of authentication apparatus system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention A flowchart showing the operation of the authentication device 2 A flowchart showing the operation of the authentication device 2 A flowchart showing the operation of the authentication device 2 Configuration diagram of authentication apparatus system in Embodiment 2 of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile communication terminal 2, 5 Authentication apparatus 4 Communication line 6 Dedicated connection line 10 Camera 20, 50 Reading means 23, 53 Storage means 25 Comparison means 56 Timer 57 Update recommendation means

Claims (7)

The digital image data captured by the mobile communication terminal with a camera function is read out and stored in advance, and the authentication is successful based on whether the data supplied via the communication line matches the stored digital image data. Determine the authentication device. The authentication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reading unit that reads digital image data from the mobile communication terminal without using a communication line. 3. The authentication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reading means is configured to read digital image data from the portable communication terminal through a dedicated connection line or near field communication. 3. The authentication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the portable communication terminal stores digital image data in a removable storage medium, and the reading unit is configured to directly read the digital image data by mounting the storage medium. 2. The authentication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an update recommendation unit that prompts the user to store new digital image data when a predetermined time has elapsed after storing the digital image data. Based on whether the storage step of reading and storing digital image data captured by a mobile communication terminal with a camera function matches the data supplied through the communication line and the digital image stored in the storage step And a determination step of determining success or failure of authentication. Based on whether the storage step of reading and storing digital image data captured by a mobile communication terminal with a camera function matches the data supplied through the communication line and the digital image stored in the storage step And a determination step for determining success or failure of authentication.

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