Fingerprint scanners work by first obtaining an image of a fingerprint using either an optical or capacitive scanner. An optical scanner uses light and a charge coupled device like in a camera to capture the fingerprint image, while a capacitive scanner uses electrostatic sensing to analyze fingerprint ridges. The scanner then analyzes features called minutiae from the fingerprint to identify and compare with stored prints, rather than doing a direct image comparison. While fingerprint identification has advantages like being hard to forge, its main drawback is the inability to change your fingerprint if compromised.