apparatus and method for implementing biometrics - based authentication . in a preferred embodiment , the present invention is embodied in a portable device . specifically , in one embodiment , the portable device includes a microprocessor , a non - volatile memory coupled thereto , and a biometrics - based authentication module controlled by the microprocessor . preferably , the biometrics technology used is fingerprint authentication technology . the authentication module is capable of registering a fingerprint upon first use of the portable device , storing an encoded version of the fingerprint in the non - volatile memory . subsequently , the authentication module can read a person &# 39 ; s fingerprint and reliably determine whether the fingerprint matches the registered fingerprint stored in the non - volatile memory . if a match is found , access to information in the non - volatile memory is granted to that person ; otherwise , access is denied . embodiments of the present invention thus provide a highly convenient , secured and reliable method and system for user authentication and access control which was not achievable in prior art password - based authentication approaches .