Current information security techniques based on cryptography are facing a challenge of lacking the exact connection between cryptographic key and legitimate users. Biometrics, which refers to distinctive physiological and behavioral characteristics of human beings, is a more reliable indicator of identity than traditional authentication system such as passwords-based or tokens-based. However, researches on the seamless integration biometric technologies, e.g., fingerprint recognition, with cryptosystem have not been conducted until recent years. In this paper, we provide an overview of recent advancements in fingerprint recognition algorithm with a special focus on the enhancement of low-quality fingerprints and the matching of the distorted fingerprint images, and discuss two representative methods of key release and key generation scheme based on fingerprints. We also propose two solutions for the application in identity authentication without trustworthy thirdparty in the network environment, and application in digital media protection, aiming to assure the secrecy of fingerprint template and fingerprint-based user authentication.