Abstract
In real life, people treat with their interlocutors face-to-face. In virtual life, our interlocutors are behind the walls of internet, and we do not whether they are human beings or programs. Thus, an issue of identity rises. Special attention is given to on-line banking since it is a delicate issue. We propose a hybrid software/hardware solution to overcome this problem of identity identification. The bank provides the client with a hardware device including a set of passwords. Each password is valid for only one on-line transaction. If a password is intercepted by an unauthorized person then it is useless. The password is entered by a device with a USB connector after a validation of the identity through fingerprints or other biometric measures. The concept has been validated by designing a USB card including a fingerprint reader.