Using Fingerprint Features as Personalized Cryptographic key in Personal Health Record Systems

An embedded method which can provide privacy-safeguard and data-security layer for the Personal Health Records (PHR) is proposed. In our method, the fingerprint image of a patient or doctor is obtained with fingerprint scanner and the values of fingerprint features points are calculated and saved in an IC card. As a result, saving the fingerprint image is not required in our method. Based on the user's password, a transformation is applied on the fingerprint topology structural values. After that, we take these points' coordinates on the transformed topology structure as a cryptographic key, which is used with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm to encrypt the users' privacy information, such as prescription, laboratory sheet, medical certificate, etc. The experimental results demonstrate that our method could bring patients the self-control and self-management on their own medical privacy information.