Novel method for robust key generation from online biometric signature

Existing symmetric encryption algorithms require storage of the secret key. Stored keys are often protected by poorly selected user passwords or pin-codes. Combining biometrics with cryptography is often assumed as a possible solution. This paper describes a novel method for transforming an online biometric signature into a binary vector, which can be used as a cryptographic key. The method is based on a secure sketch scheme and makes it possible to construct 16-bit keys with false accept rate and false reject rate less than 10%.