There is a client-server biometric authentication system. A client acquires biometric data of a user. A server holds a registered template used as a reference for the authentication of the user. Upon receipt of an authentication request from a client, a server performs a verification process between biometric data for verification, which has been transmitted from the client, and a registered template held in the server. If the degree of matching between the biometric data and the registered template, which has been calculated in the verification process, is greater than or equal to a threshold, the server authorizes the client to access the system. A client-server biometric authentication system can manage access to a server by allowing the server to manage authentication results as a log.
In biometric authentication, a server may use a plurality of algorithms when verifying the identity of an individual. For example, when verifying the identity of an individual, the server firstly performs verification based on minutiae points. If the degree of matching is greater than or equal to a threshold, the identity is verified and access to the system is authorized. If the degree of matching obtained in the verification based on minutiae points is less than or equal to the threshold, the server further performs a pattern matching process. When the degree of matching obtained in the pattern matching process is greater than or equal to a threshold, access to the system is authorized.
For users who are difficult to authenticate, the server needs to perform a pattern matching process in addition to a verification process based on minutiae points. Thus, the amount of computation to be performed by the server increases, and the authentication process time becomes long. In addition, because of the increase in the amount of computation in a fingerprint authentication process to be performed by the server on a user who is difficult to authenticate, a concentration of authentication requests from users who are difficult to authenticate to the server causes an increase in the load on the server (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 09-288648 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-182641).