User authentication apparatus which uses biometrics and user authentication method for use with user authentication apparatus

摘要

A user authentication apparatus is disclosed by which, even where biometrics input data of some user such as a fingerprint are low in quality and are not suitable for verification, the security of the entire system can be augmented without giving rise to increase of the cost by introduction of significant additional hardware. When a fingerprint verifying characteristic extraction section discriminates that the quality of an image of a fingerprint is insufficient or when authentication based on an inputted fingerprint by a user verification result determination section results in failure, a request to input a fingerprint is issued from a fingerprint inputting request section to the user. When necessary fingerprint inputting is performed from a fingerprint inputting section, substitute authentication by a substitute authentication section is permitted. A result of the substitute authentication by the substitute authentication section is displayed on a service permission or rejection display section. The image inputted from a fingerprint inputting section or the fingerprint inputting section is stored into a substitute authentication means user information storage section.