What is Biometric Authentication? Methods & Security Features

As our world becomes increasingly digital, there is a growing need for more secure identity verification methods to replace the faulty password security that is still widely used. 

Biometric authentication has emerged as a strong method for safeguarding network and facility access, with a wide range of possible applications from healthcare to hospitality and nearly all industries in between. 

Offering enhanced security while providing users with a more streamlined log-in experience, it’s likely that many of us already use biometric authentication in our day-to-day lives, even if we weren’t aware of it. 

Throughout this article, we will explore the different biometric technology methods available, their security features, and help you decide if it’s a suitable option for your organization.

physical or behavioral characteristics. There is widespread use of biometric authentication across a number of industries, owing to the enhanced security it provides and ease of use.

Fingerprint Biometrics

Fingerprint scanning is one of the most commonly used biometric verification methods. Since each person has a completely unique fingerprint pattern, fingerprint scanners work to appropriately identify and distinguish individuals from one another.

In practice, fingerprints have been used to help secure smartphones, help law enforcement identify suspected perpetrators, and support building access control.

Facial Recognition Systems

A person’s facial features can also be used for identity verification with biometric facial recognition technology.

Among other applications, facial recognition is already in use to secure smartphones, run surveillance for law enforcement, and support airport security.

Iris and Retina Scanning

Biometric authentication can verify users based on the unique characteristics of the eye, including iris and retina scanning.

The iris is the colored center part of the eye surrounding the pupil, which has its own unique pattern. The retina is located in the back of the eye and is fed by a unique pattern of blood vessels, which is used to identify individuals. These eye-scanning methods can help secure facilities with building access controls.

Voice Biometrics

No two people have the same voice, so the sound waves that a person produces when they speak can be measured as a unique “voice print” that distinguishes them from other people.

Voice biometrics can be used with voice assistants, call centers, and telephone banking to keep people’s accounts secure.

Gait and Behavioral Biometrics

Every person has a unique walking gait or behavioral pattern that sets them apart from other people. These patterns can be monitored and attributed to individuals for security purposes, and are already in use in cybersecurity and surveillance applications.

Vein Pattern Recognition

Vein pattern recognition uses the unique arrangement of veins in a person’s hand and fingers to verify their identity. This method of biometric identification can be used in a wide range of applications, including in healthcare and banking.

Signature Biometrics

A person’s signature can be analyzed for identity verification. The unique characteristics of the handwritten signature can help verify a person’s identity in banking and legal contexts as subsequent signatures are compared against a stored reference signature.

Hand Geometry

Similar to vein patterns, each person has a unique hand geometry that can be used to identify them for security, physical access control, or time and attendance applications.

This can include measuring characteristics of the hand like the length of the fingers, and the thickness and width of the hand to identify individuals and support secure system access.

Multimodal biometric authentication is a form of multi-factor authentication (MFA), utilizing two or more biometric traits to identify individuals. Compared to a unimodal biometric security system that relies on just one biometric factor, this offers enhanced security.

When in place, this may require users to successfully complete both a fingerprint and facial scan before they are granted access to a network or facility, or any other combination of the various biometric factors we listed above.

Biometric authentication is highly secure due to its reliance on unique physical or behavioral traits that are difficult or impossible for attackers to replicate accurately, including fingerprints, facial features, or voice patterns.

For this reason, it’s widely viewed as a more secure method for identifying individuals compared to traditional username-password techniques.

Strengths of Biometric Authentication

To illustrate the enhanced security that biometric authentication offers, here are some of the unique strengths of this security method:

• Uniqueness and Unpredictability: Biometric traits are unique to individuals, making it challenging for attackers to guess or replicate them. This uniqueness enhances security significantly.
• Liveness Detection: To counter presentation attacks, modern biometric systems incorporate liveness detection mechanisms. These mechanisms assess the vitality of the biometric trait to ensure it's coming from a live person.

Vulnerabilities of Biometric Authentication

Though this security method is highly secure, there are still some potential weaknesses that you should be aware of, just like any other identity verification method:

• Presentation Attacks: Presentation attacks involve using fake biometric samples, such as fake fingerprints, photos, or voice recordings. These pose a threat to biometric systems.

Given the various biometric authentication methods available, there is also some variation in how secure each of these methods is.

High Accuracy Methods

Fingerprint scanning and iris recognition are among the highest accuracy methods because the probability of two people having identical fingerprints or irises is incredibly low.

Low Accuracy methods

Facial recognition can be less accurate than other methods because of factors like lighting, angle, and facial changes as a person ages.

Additionally, voice recognition accuracy can be impacted by background noise and variations in pronunciation.

False Acceptance Rates (FAR) and False Rejection Rates (FRR)

False acceptance rates (FAR) and false rejection rates (FRR) are two important measures to help determine the accuracy and reliability of a biometric authentication method.

FAR is the frequency that an unauthorized user gains access to the system and FRR represents the amount of legitimate users that get denied access. Ideally, both of these rates would be near zero. 

Both FAR and FRR can pose serious issues for a network or system, though it is often difficult to strike the right balance between providing strong security and minimal friction to users.

For example, depending on the security threshold of a system or organization, they may be more willing to reject a valid person with a higher FRR than risk allowing an unauthorized user access to the network.

Advantages of Biometric Authentication

Superior Security

Biometric authentication offers an exceptionally high level of security. This is due to the uniqueness of individual biometric traits, making it difficult for unauthorized users to gain access.

Convenience and Speed

Biometrics provide a quick and convenient way to verify one's identity. Users don't need to remember passwords or carry physical tokens, leading to a streamlined authentication process.

Resistance to Theft or Loss

Unlike traditional methods involving passwords or tokens, biometric data is an inherent part of the user and cannot be easily lost, stolen, or forgotten.

Enhanced User Experience

Biometric authentication systems offer a frictionless and user-friendly experience, enhancing overall satisfaction.

Multi-Modal Capability

Biometrics can be combined with other biometric authentication methods (multi-modal biometrics), further enhancing security.

Cost-Effective

In the long run, biometric systems can be more cost-effective than managing and resetting passwords or dealing with lost tokens.

Disadvantages of Biometric Authentication

Privacy Concerns

Storing biometric data raises privacy concerns, as it could potentially be misused or breached, resulting in identity theft.

Cost of Implementation

Setting up biometric authentication systems can be costly, depending on which type you’re trying to implement and the infrastructure upgrades that are required to support it.

False Positives and Negatives

Biometric systems may occasionally produce false positives (authorizing unauthorized users) or false negatives (denying legitimate users). Achieving the right balance can be challenging.

Limited Device Compatibility

Not all user devices are equipped to support biometric authentication, making it inaccessible for some users relying on older technology.

For instance, if a user has a flip phone instead of a smartphone, they may be unable to complete certain challenges like a face or fingerprint scan successfully.

Sensing Limitations

Environmental factors such as poor lighting, dirt, or damage can affect the performance of biometric sensors.

To see how biometric authentication differs from traditional passwords, here is a side-by-side comparison of the pros and cons of the two security methods.

• Biometric Authentication
  • Pros: Enhanced security, convenience, resistance to theft or loss, enhanced user experience, potential cost-efficiency.
  • Cons: Privacy concerns, high implementation costs, false positives/negatives, limited device compatibility, sensing limitations.
• Traditional Passwords
  • Pros: Ubiquity, low implementation costs, user control, repudiation feature, device compatibility.
  • Cons: Security vulnerabilities, complexity, reset/recovery issues, user frustration, increased security risks.

Mobile Devices

Biometric authentication is already widely used to secure mobile devices. Specifically, fingerprint and facial recognition are two common methods to unlock smartphones.

Healthcare

Fingerprint verification can be used to identify patients in a healthcare setting. This can be used to keep private patient information secure and ensure patients receive the correct treatment based on their medical history.

Finance

Facial recognition can be used to keep mobile banking apps secure, and voice recognition is already commonly used for secure telephone banking.

Additionally, ATMs can verify one’s identity using fingerprint and palm scans, enhancing the security of cash withdrawals.

Government

In a government context, a number of biometric authentication methods can prove useful. Facial recognition can be used to verify a person’s identity with ePassports, and a number of biometric traits like fingerprint or retina scanning can provide more accurate voter authentication.

Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on biometric data like fingerprints and facial recognition to identify criminals and perform surveillance.

These agencies can also implement multimodal biometrics for more secure access controls to police records and files.

Education

Schools and other educational institutions can use fingerprint verification to prevent impersonation on exams and provide secure access to school facilities. They can also implement such measures for library access and contactless check-out.

Corporate Security

Enterprises can enhance their building security by implementing fingerprint and facial recognition to grant employees access to the facilities.

Biometric authentication like fingerprint scanning can also be implemented by businesses for more accurate timesheets and attendance records for payroll purposes.

Hospitality

There are a number of applications of biometric authentication in hospitality. Facial recognition can be used to secure hotel room access and other facilities like the pool or fitness center.

Fingerprint verification allows for quick and contactless check-in without having to go through the formal process of checking in at the front desk with an attendant.

Transportation

Biometric authentication can make travel security more streamlined and robust. When applying facial recognition technology in airports, passenger check-in and bag drops can be done more quickly while still boasting a high level of security.

IoT Security

Connected IoT devices like smart locks and home security systems can be unlocked with biometrics to prevent hackers from gaining wrongful access.

While biometrics security is seen as superior to others, there are some potential ethical considerations to keep in mind.

Because this method requires the collection and storage of users’ biometric identifiers, there is a possibility that the system is breached and sensitive information is exposed to spoofing. Thus, these systems should take the necessary precautions to safeguard user data and be transparent about how the data will be stored and utilized.

Some individuals may be concerned about their right to privacy and have questions about how providing biometric information to gain system access can lead to increased surveillance of their activities and behaviors.

Organizations that want to strengthen their security measures and find a better alternative to traditional password verification can find a lot of value in biometric authentication. There are many variations of this method available, from facial recognition to retina scanning – which makes it highly versatile and adaptable as a passwordless authentication method.

Since biometric traits like a person’s fingerprint or vein pattern are unique to each individual and difficult to accurately replicate, biometric authentication offers enhanced security that a traditional username-password cannot provide. Even still, no method is 100% secure, and organizations need to be aware of the FAR and FRR of their chosen method to understand where potential weaknesses lie.

If you’re considering implementing biometric authentication, make sure to evaluate the feasibility of this security solution and whether it meets the security requirements of your organization. All in all, the possible use cases of biometric authentication will only continue to expand as the supporting technology improves and the adoption of this verification method grows.

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