Fingerprint Scanner

What Does Fingerprint Scanner Mean?

A fingerprint scanner is a type of technology that identifies and authenticates the fingerprints of an individual in order to grant or deny access to a computer system or a physical facility.

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It is a type of biometric security technology that utilizes the combination of hardware and software techniques to identify the fingerprint scans of an individual.

Techopedia Explains Fingerprint Scanner

A fingerprint scanner typically works by first recording fingerprint scans of all authorized individuals for a particular system or facility. These scans are saved within a database. The user requiring access puts their finger on a hardware scanner, which scans and copies the input from the individual and looks for any similarity within the already-stored scans. If there is a positive match, the individual is granted access.

Fingerprint scanners most commonly use an individual’s thumbprint as identification.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…