Doing this activates the biometric verification procedure for each act of decryption. Instead of locking the private key in a PC file, it can be stored in a smart card chip. The smart card that carries the asymmetric private key is the secure foundation of the C-SET protocol for secure financial transactions on the Internet. The zone of the card containing the key can be secured by a biometric, making the card and key redundant if lost or stolen. Adding biometric verification to the card chip further reduces the exposure of the biometric information, as only the live biometric sample needs to travel to the card.
Encryption appears twice here.
The private key is locked inside the card, and the card uses its own encryption processor to 'talk' securely with the reader. Thus a modest card encryption system under pins a biometric system, which in turn secures the key to a larger encryption system. This layering gives a glimpse of the combined future for both approaches. Entry to a secure web site, which may be an intranet gateway to valued corporate resources, might authenticate the visitor in a number of ways. This symmetrical method parallels biometrics neatly because a secure biometric relationship will require initial enrolment.