Abstract: An apparatus, method, and computer program for providing authenticating indicia and verifying the image thereby. One particular embodiment is a biometric application such as a fingerprint-based authentication system. The apparatus includes an image receiver for receiving the original image with true image point, a false image point generator providing false image points, and a transient template generator that selectively combines the true image points and the false image points. The apparatus can also constrain false image points to be non-coinciding plausible impostors of the true image points. The apparatus can include a claimant image receiver, a transient template receiver and a comparator for comparing the claimant image points with the template image points and producing an authentication signal.