Learn about biometric authentication, what modal biometrics are, and the advantages and risks.
Biometric authentication is considered one of the most secure methods of identification and verification. This is due to its high level of accuracy and ability to ensure the verified person’s presence.
Businesses in various industries need secure authentication systems due to increasing cyberattacks worldwide. Plus, these attacks are extremely costly for companies. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybercrime will amount to 10.5 trillion USD per year by 2025.
It’s crucial for businesses to verify user identities accurately—and biometric authentication technology is answering the call. However, biometric authentication methods have their risks. Let’s explore how biometrics work for authentication, along with the benefits and challenges.
Biometric authentication is the process of identifying a person by checking one or more of their unique physical characteristics (e.g. facial recognition, fingerprints, voice recognition, etc).
Because of its full-proof advantages, biometrics are used as a form of identification everywhere, from unlocking smartphones, accessing secure facilities, authorizing financial transactions, and ensuring secure access to computer systems.
Biometric authentication is often confused with biometric verification, but there are still slight differences. Check out this article to learn more, including the details of biometric verification systems.
Biometric authentication methods include physical and behavioral identifiers.
Physical identifiers are fixed human characteristics, which include the following examples of biometric authentication:
Behavioral identifiers are patterns in the ways that individuals perform particular tasks— walking, speaking, etc.
Multimodal biometric authentication, also known as multimodal fusion, refers to the practice of combining two or more distinct biometric traits to verify the identity of an individual.
By utilizing several biometric factors, multimodal biometric systems aim to enhance accuracy and security while mitigating the limitations associated with using a single biometric trait.
In a multimodal biometric authentication system, two or more biometric modalities are simultaneously captured and processed to complete authentication. The combination of modalities can be used to overcome the weaknesses of individual biometric traits and improve overall system performance.
Moreover, the likelihood of false positives or false negatives is reduced when multiple biometric traits are used in conjunction.
Biometrics are preferable to passwords, PINs, or security tokens because they’re easier to use and provide greater privacy and security. Here are some of the key benefits:
Despite these advantages, biometric authentication does come with a number of challenges.
Some of the potential risks associated with biometric authentication include:
To overcome these challenges, biometric authentication should be used carefully, implement strong security practices, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Additionally, using multi-factor authentication (MFA), which combines biometrics with other authentication factors, can provide an extra layer of security.
Biometric authentication has a wide range of use cases across different industries and sectors, for example:
Biometric authentication identifies a person by assessing one or more of their unique physical characteristics (e.g. fingerprints, iris or retina, voice, face).
Fingerprint authentication can be part of biometric authentication. Fingerprint authentication specifically involves using the unique patterns of ridges and valleys on an individual’s fingertip as a means of identification, while biometrics use a broader range of a person’s traits to ensure that the person is who they claim they are.
Yes, biometric authentication can be part of multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Potential data breaches are the biggest risk of using biometrics. If biometric data is compromised, it can’t be changed like a password or a PIN. Once biometric data is stolen, it is permanently compromised, potentially leading to identity theft or unauthorized access.
Biometrics are harder to bypass or fool in comparison to traditional authentication methods, like passwords. However, some biometric systems can be fooled with advanced deepfakes. Therefore, it’s recommended to use advanced biometric systems supported by other authentication methods for extra security, or multimodal biometric authentication.
Yes, biometric login is safer than using passwords or PIN codes.