Biometric authentication is quickly becoming an essential security technology. It’s faster, more secure, and more reliable than passwords alone, yet it’s also much easier to use than fingerprint readers and other sensors that must be embedded into a device. As a result, biometrics are rapidly expanding beyond traditional fingerprints, irises and retina scans to include face recognition, voice recognition, hand geometry and other features unique to each individual person.
In the future, biometrics will likely become the primary method of authentication for everyday activities such as banking or signing contracts. This article provides insight into how biometrics are used today in the industries they’re most commonly implemented in: telco and financial services. We explore why biometrics are useful for security purposes as well as how they can be employed to balance user convenience with security concerns.
What is biometrics?
Biometrics is a term used to describe any type of authentication that relies on unique physical or behavioral characteristics of a person to verify their identity. In biometrics, these characteristics are either physical (such as fingerprints), behavioural (like voice patterns) or cognitive (like how frequently you check your email). Biometrics is different from traditional forms of authentication in that it doesn’t rely on something you know like a password, but rather on something you are (a physical characteristic you possess, such as your fingerprints, or your behavior, like checking your email).
This makes biometrics more accurate and reliable, because it doesn’t rely on someone thinking of a specific word or character every time they want to access some kind of service. At its core, biometrics is a powerful technology that can be used to improve authentication systems, but it has a long way to go before it can replace passwords as the primary method of authentication.
How is biometrice used in security?
Biometrics are used in security to provide two main benefits: verification and verification assurance.
– Verification: Unlike passwords, which are meant to be used once and then forgotten, biometrics are designed to be used repeatedly. This means they can be an effective way to confirm an individual’s identity, while also providing a physical “signature” that can help identify that person if they try to use someone else’s finger, retina or other biometric to access a system.
– Verification assurance: Unlike passwords, which are only used once and then forgotten, biometrics are designed to be used repeatedly. This means they can be used to provide both authentication and proof-of-ownership (PoP), which can help provide assurance that you are who you say you are. This is beneficial in cases where you need to verify that you are accessing something, but you also want to confirm that the biometric you’re using is really yours.
Benefits of biometrics in security
– Higher accuracy: Biometrics are more secure than passwords because they don’t rely on someone remembering a specific word or character. They also don’t rely on someone’s thinking of that specific word or character every time they want to use a service. Since biometrics are unique to each person, the chances of someone “brute forcing” the same fingerprint, voice print or other biometric are much lower than the chances of someone guessing a random password.
– Higher reliability: Biometrics are more reliable than passwords because they’re designed to be used repeatedly. Unlike passwords, which are designed to be changed every few years, biometrics are designed to be used repeatedly, which means they have a much better chance of being used consistently.
Drawbacks of biometrics in security
– Accuracy: The accuracy of biometrics varies widely depending on the technology being used, but in general they’re more accurate than the types of passwords used to verify an individual’s identity. While this means biometrics are more reliable, it also means that each method of biometrics has its own set of accuracy concerns.
– Reliability: Like passwords, biometrics are designed to be used repeatedly, which means they have a much better chance of being used consistently. Unlike passwords, which are designed to be changed every few years, biometrics are designed to be used repeatedly, which means they have a much better chance of being used consistently.
How to balance convenience and security with biometrics?
Today, most biometric authentication systems are designed to be used with one particular type of biometric. For example, many banks only support users with fingerprints, while government agencies require both irises and fingerprints for identity verification. As this pattern plays out, biometrics will likely become the primary method of authentication for everyday activities such as banking or signing contracts, while other forms of biometrics will be used to verify identity in more sensitive and private settings.
This type of “one size fits all” approach to biometrics has several drawbacks. For example, it means that even if a person has the preferred method of biometrics, they may not be able to access all their services with the same biometric. People may also have to change their preferred method of biometrics, which can be inconvenient.
Conclusion
Biometrics are quickly becoming the standard for authentication, with telco and financial services leading the way. They provide both stronger authentication and proof-of-ownership than passwords, while also being more convenient to use than traditional passwords. While biometrics can provide greater security than passwords, they can’t perform as well in terms of accuracy. Biometrics also have issues with reliability, depending on the technology being used. It’s important to remember that biometrics are just one way of authenticating users, and they’re certainly not a replacement for strong password policies. However, they can be a useful addition to an overall strategy for improving user authentication.
Article Code: BD712SSZ
