The K2MS Guardian System uses Secugen fingerprint reader technology as a quick and easy method of signing records into the system.
It is important to note that the K2MS Guardian system does not store a complete picture of your fingerprint and that the stored information is encrypted and cannot be used for any other purpose than authentication within the K2 software.
How it Works
At the most basic level, all optics-based fingerprint systems translate illuminated images of fingerprints into digital code for further software processing, e.g. enrollment (fingerprint registration) and verification (authentication of registered users). SecuGen devices use the advanced SEIR method and CMOS image sensor to capture high contrast, high resolution fingerprint images that are virtually distortion-free.
A series of powerful algorithms developed by SecuGen extract minutiae data from the image, mapping the distinguishing characteristics of fingerprint ridge ends, splits, dots, and arches. Other fingerprint minutiae include whorls, loops, ridge lines, valleys, bifurcations, upper and lower cores, and deltas.
This data is then converted into a digital template (around 400 bytes) and stored in memory or on disk. (Although your fingerprint image is displayed on screen, the actual fingerprint image is never stored, and cannot be reconstructed from your stored template.)
To identify or verify a fingerprint, a proprietary matching algorithm compares the extracted minutiae points from the input fingerprint to a previously stored sample. This matching process takes roughly one second.
Authentication takes place either locally or on a server, depending on the system configuration.
Note that, for security, although your fingerprint image is momentarily captured, it is deleted immediately after being processed by an advanced extraction algorithm.
Fake or spoofed fingerprints
SecuGen devices also protect against latent fingerprints left on the sensor surface and "faked" 2-D fingerprints, such as photocopies or photographs.
We appreciate your concerns and hope that this information is useful. You can use the system without enrolling a fingerprint if that is preferred, but using passwords may become inconvenient over time. Passwords are also inherently less secure, as they can be shared or observed on entry and copied easily.
It is worth noting that your fingerprint authentication data is stored in an encrypted format on a secure server within your Hospital's network. Both the database server and internal network are secured from external access by a number of layers of additional security to protect patient confidential data. Your authentication information cannot be copied or transferred in any way - If you work at another Hospital that uses the K2MS Guardian System, you will need to enrol your fingerprint into their system.