Biometric authentication explained

What is biometric authentication?

Biometric authentication is the process of proving a user's identity using unique biological characteristics, such as fingerprints, voice, and retinal patterns, for identification and verification. With the rise of mobile devices equipped with fingerprint scanners and facial recognition capabilities, biometrics has become a mainstream method for securing access to sensitive information. Unlike traditional methods like passwords or PINs, biometrics are inherently difficult to replicate or steal.

What are biometric identifiers?

A biometric identifier is a parameter that can be measured to identify a user uniquely, and it serves as an access code in biometric authentication. It can be either a physiological or behavioral identifier.

• Physiological identifiers
  • Fingerprint : Fingerprint authentication compares a user's fingerprint to the stored fingerprint templates to validate the user's identity. It is one of the most common biometric authentication examples.
  • Face recognition: Face recognition systems detect a face from a live camera source and compare it with the available database of known faces to identify the user.
  • Retinal pattern: In retinal authentication systems, the identifier is the unique blood vessel patterns of the retina.
  • Hand geometry: In this biometric, users are identified by the shape of their hand.
  • Odor: Body odor authentication is an emerging biometric technology that shows potential for effective identification. This identifier is still under development and is not yet in use.
• Behavioral identifiers
  • Voice: Voice recognition systems analyze a user's voice to validate their identity.
  • Typing rhythm: Typing patterns are unique due to neuro-physiological factors and can be used to identify a user.
  • Handwriting: A user's distinct handwriting can serve as an identifier.

How do biometric authentication methods work?

The process typically involves the following steps:

• Enrollment: The user's biometric data is stored in a secure database.
• Authentication: When a user attempts to access a system, their biometric data is captured and compared with the data stored in the database.
• Verification: If the data matches, the user is authenticated.

Biometric authentication use cases

Biometric authentication is increasingly integrated into various sectors to enhance security and streamline the authentication process. A few use cases are:

• Smartphones and mobile devices: Fingerprint scanners and facial recognition are used to unlock smartphones, ensuring that only authorized users can access the device.
• Banking and financial services: Biometric authentication is used to authorize transactions through payment apps and secure online banking platforms.
• Workplace security: Fingerprints, iris scans, or facial recognition are used to control access to secure areas within a workplace and safeguard sensitive information.
• Healthcare: Hospitals use biometric systems to verify patient identities, ensuring medical records are accurate.
• Travel: Airports use biometric data to verify travelers' identities accurately and speed up the check-in process.
• Law enforcement: Law enforcement agencies rely on biometric data to identify suspects and criminals, aiding in investigations.

Benefits of biometric authentication

The rise in cybercrime and the growing complexity of passwords have accelerated the adoption of biometric authentication. Its key advantages include:

• Convenience : With biometric authentication, there is no need to remember any details or carry around security keys.
• Security: Breaking into a system that requires an identifier that cannot be copied or possessed is difficult.
• Speed and ease of use: The authentication process is done in a few seconds and requires little to no training, as users only need to touch or look into a scanner.

Addressing biometric challenges

As simple and secure as it sounds, using biometrics for authentication comes with its cons. For instance, as users age, their biometric factors can change, potentially affecting the accuracy of authentication methods like fingerprint recognition. Worse yet, leaked biometrics could lead to compromised identities.

It's important to remember that biometrics are not 100% accurate. Biometric authentication systems attempt to find the closest match to the given input identifier from the available collection of biometric data.

To combat these issues, there are biometric systems with modifications.

• Adaptive biometric systems: Adaptive biometric systems are designed to automatically update their biometric data with the changing environment and aging of the biometric identifiers. This includes adapting to the natural aging process and environmental factors that might alter biometric identifiers like fingerprints or facial features. By regularly updating the biometric data, these systems maintain their accuracy and reliability.
• Multimodal biometric systems: A multimodal biometric system requires the use of more than one biometric identifier for authentication. For example, a system might combine fingerprint recognition with facial recognition or voice recognition. This approach not only enhances the accuracy of the authentication process but also provides alternatives in case one biometric identifier fails or is compromised.

Enhancing biometric authentication with MFA

MFA systems use multiple authentication methods, including biometrics, to verify users' identities and enhance security. They generally include identifiers that involve:

• What you know (e.g., password, security pin).
• What you have (e.g., passport, debit card, credit card).
• What you are (e.g., biometric identifier).

Why are IT enterprises reluctant to use biometrics?

Even though biometrics are an easy and effective security solution, they're not widely used in IT enterprises because:

• People are reluctant to embrace the idea of their biometric data being stored in a central location where it can potentially be compromised.
• Implementing and maintaining a biometric authentication system is complex and expensive.
• A lack of knowledge about the available biometric technologies and standards.

Future trends in biometric authentication

Biometric authentication is rapidly evolving, with several promising trends emerging. Here are a few trends on the horizon:

• Multimodal biometrics: Combining multiple biometric identifiers, like facial recognition with voice recognition or fingerprints with iris scans, will become more common. This approach enhances security by reducing the likelihood of false positives or negatives.
• Behavioral biometrics: Beyond physical characteristics, future biometric systems will increasingly focus on behavioral patterns, such as typing speed, gait, or voice characteristics.
• Biometrics in digital identity: The integration of biometrics into digital identity systems will become more common, enabling users to securely access a wide range of services with a single biometric credential.
• Contactless biometrics: The demand for contactless biometric solutions, such as facial recognition and iris scans, will continue to rise in the health and safety industries.

Streamline biometric authentication with ADSelfService Plus

ADSelfService Plus is an identity security solution with MFA, SSO, and self-service password management capabilities that offers 20 different MFA methods to secure endpoints, including machines, applications, and VPNs. ADSelfService Plus supports both Android and iOS biometric authentication mechanisms, such as fingerprint and facial recognition.

The biometric data required for verification is not stored in a central database in ADSelfService Plus. Rather, during verification, ADSelfService Plus asks the mobile phone's OS to check if the given biometric data matches the stored data in order to authenticate the user.

There is no need to deploy and maintain a separate biometric authentication system as ADSelfService Plus utilizes the fingerprint scanner and facial recognition system readily available in almost every smartphone. This eliminates the added cost of purchasing the required hardware.

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