Biometric security is the most efficient way to swiftly and accurately identify and authenticate people using their specific biological attributes. In this instance, we mean, among other types of structures, enormous shopping malls, train stations, airports, hospitals, or international corporations.
One of the key features of biometrics is that, unlike passwords, data connected with a particular individual prevents data from being changed. However, updates are often necessary due to alterations brought on by aging or physical problems. However, the advantages are obvious:
- Compared to previous systems, the identification process’ accuracy has improved.
- This procedure is more hygienic because there is no physical contact.
- The use of various biometric techniques is compatible.
Three Types of Biometric Security
Although they can be used for various purposes, biometrics are frequently utilized in security, and they can generally be divided into three groups:
- Biological biometrics
- Morphological biometrics
- Behavioral biometrics
- Biological Biometrics
Molecular and Generic features are used in biological biometrics. These could include elements like your DNA or blood, which could be examined using a sample of your bodily fluids.
- Morphological Biometrics
Morphological biometrics requires an account of your body’s morphology. Additional physical characteristics, such as your eye color, face shape, or fingerprint, can be mapped for use with security scanners.
- Behavioral Biometrics
The foundation of behavioral biometrics is the individual pattern of each person. If these patterns are observed, it is possible to determine your identity from the way you move, speak, or even type on a keyboard.
Working on Biometric Security
The use of biometric identification is becoming more prevalent in our daily security. Each person’s unique biometric identity can be used to replace or at least enhance password systems for phones, computers, and locations with restricted access.
Hardware called biometric scanners is used to record the biometrics for identification verification. To provide or deny access to the system, these scans are compared against the saved database. To put it another way, biometric security makes your body the “key” to gaining access. The main reasons why biometrics are so widely employed are as follows:
- Usage convenience: You always have your biometrics with you and they are unforgettably secure.
- Hard to copy or impersonate: A password or key cannot be stolen, but biometrics may. Despite their flaws, these systems have a lot of promise for the development of cybersecurity.
Examples of Biometric Security
Here are a few common examples of biometric security:
- Fingerprint Scanning
- Iris Recognition
- Voice Recognition
- Heart-Rate Sensors
- Facial Recognition
Several sectors have already successfully used biometric security in practice. Advanced biometric technology protects valuables and sensitive papers. The British bank Halifax is developing gadgets that monitor heartbeat to confirm customers’ identities, and Citibank already utilizes speech recognition. Ford is even thinking about installing biometric sensors in automobiles.
Read Digital Contact Tracing: Benefits, Disadvantages, and Tools.
Uses of Biometrics in Today’s Society
National Identity
Globally, there is a steady increase in demand for biometric national identification programs due to growing security concerns. Many nations, including Germany, France, Colombia, Maldives, Morocco, Greece, Albania, Iraq, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, India, and Malaysia, have already embraced this technology.
A biometric national identity card is often a small, portable document that contains information about the bearer, including name, residence, religion, birth date, citizenship, a special number, and biometric profile.
Border Protection
To strengthen their border security, developed nations including the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan, France, and Russia, to mention a few, have already implemented biometric technologies. Russia has used biometric technology to collect fingerprint and facial recognition data from visitors from nations without visa requirements.
iPhones are being tested by Australian border guards as biometric border equipment. The Irish government has authorized the use of biometric technology for border control. According to a survey, in only the last four years alone, the number of border control kiosks using biometrics and digital identification has climbed by 71% CAGR.
Banking
Globally, banking is becoming more digitalized to combat identity theft and shorten the time-consuming, stressful procedure. For customers, banking is now faster, more convenient, and more trustworthy thanks to biometric technology.
The UK is where biometric banking is most common, according to a survey. The largest bank in the world by market value, Wells Fargo, has been testing eye-scanning technology. To streamline the procedure, Unibank of Haiti has included biometric technology in its banking system. Many banks are moving towards implementing biometric technology across South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Workforce Administration
The primary applications of biometrics in our daily lives will include workforce management. Biometrics are used in workforce management for a variety of reasons, including identity management, time and attendance, point of sale access, etc. According to a survey, time theft costs American businesses $500 billion overall. Biometric identification will enhance security, accountability, and other factors while preventing time theft, buddy punching, and excess payroll.
Hospital
Today’s society places a high priority on the use of biometric technologies in hospitals. Hospitals frequently experience file mix-ups because they only maintain information on patients’ names and dates of birth, which is frequently insufficient.
Airports
The Canberra airport in Australia will test contactless biometric Smart Gets to increase security and streamline the process. The Los Angeles airport is testing a biometric self-boarding system that uses a face scanner to identify travelers. The Hamad International Airport in Qatar has a comprehensive plan to use biometric technologies to increase security.
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement organizations all over the world continue to utilize biometric technology as a way to reinforce their system due to its advancements in the ability to accurately identify a person. For a long time, several nations, including the UK, the US, Russia, Japan, China, etc., have benefited from this technology.
According to research, 117 million Americans’ face recognition data is available to U.S. law enforcement organizations. The Home Office of the UK announced a £26 million investment in biometric policy innovation. They most frequently use iris, fingerprints, facial recognition, gait, and voice recognition, among other biometric modalities. According to a study, the global market for law enforcement biometrics would expand at a CAGR of 13.35% between 2014 and 2019.
School
Many nations, including Belgium, the US, the UK, and others, use biometric devices in schools. In the American education sector, it is a developing technology. Both the security and the enrolling procedure will be improved. The most common biometric method in use in schools is fingerprint recognition technology.
Church
Many churches have recently embraced biometric technology to improve security and speed up the procedure. The most often used biometric modalities in churches are facial recognition and fingerprint scanning. These technologies facilitate the process with user-friendly system design and aid in creating a tangible audit trail.
Gym
Authorities at gyms throughout the world have implemented biometric technology to streamline the membership process, lower security risks, and increase customer happiness. Because gyms typically have a tight “members only” policy, fingerprint technology can be extremely helpful in this situation by enabling members to join the facility by just punching their fingers on the fingerprint reader. It is more user-friendly, current, and easier technology.
Secure in Prison
Many nations, like the United States, Mexico, the Philippines, the Netherlands, etc., began implementing biometric security in their prison security systems to better track inmates. The hours spent manually entering data to enlist the daily processing of prisoners will be reduced.
Shopping Centers
Andres Bautista, the chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), registered himself at the registration desk using a digital photo, his signature, and his fingerprints. However, it is just the start of biometrics’ use in malls.
Public Transportation
For today’s society, the usage of biometrics in public transit is essential. The public is increasingly demanding fingerprint and face-scanning equipment for all modes of transportation, including taxis, trains, buses, and airplanes. The subterranean metro system in Shanghai will use biometric technology to identify riders.
Sports
The 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, will be the first to deploy face recognition technology, according to the organizing committee.
Driver’s License
In 2018, six American states, including Colorado, Maryland, Wyoming, Idaho, and Wyoming, will test digital driver’s licenses that use fingerprint technology. By requesting access to driver’s license images, the Australian government has also increased the facial verification system’s capabilities.
Advantages of Biometric Security
The system facilitates quick and simple authentication, but it also offers the following benefits:
Faster Authentication
Businesses used to use the “paper and pen” method in the past when an employee would sign in by writing his signature on an “attendance sheet.” The traditional method would take a long time, but biometric technology does away with the requirement for physical attendance. Employees only need to sign in using a fingerprint or retina scanner to keep track of their attendance.
Scalability
One biometric system is purchased for each organization. Whether it’s a new department or a unique initiative, the technology can be applied to more than one component of the business. For both large and small enterprises, it is currently the most scalable security solution.
Banks are spending money on biometric technology so that customers may sign in using the fingerprint on their cellphones, for instance, and on developing affordable mobile apps!
Enhances the Security System.
Some people find it challenging to remember security codes, pins, and passwords. There is no need to remember passwords thanks to the biometric method. It offers a variety of modalities, including face or fingerprint scanning or retinal recognition. Fingerprints cannot be faked but passwords and pins can be stolen, the technique can also be used to protect sensitive data.
Complete Command of Access
The office building, sensitive data, vaults, and lockers can all be accessed with physical authentication, giving HR managers and organizations control over who gets access to them. They can restrict access to unauthorized personnel thanks to the biometric system. You merely grant access to those who matter.
Flexibility
The biometric system gives users the choice of using physical characteristics and does away with the need to remember pins or passwords. Nowadays, the majority of smartphones contain fingerprint scanners that give users instant access to the files stored on their devices. Similar to how WhatsApp does it, these apps allow users to employ finger identification to keep their data safe from unauthorized theft.
Provides the Best Options for ROI
When compared to alternative security systems, the ROI of the biometric authentication system is unparalleled. In a large company, all employee access and sign-ins are tracked by a single device. The tool performs the task considerably better than a resource who would do it for a high wage.
Disadvantages of Biometric Security
The method may provide several benefits for businesses, but before choosing it, consider these drawbacks:
Physical Impairments
If a user’s physical characteristics alter even little, the authentication system won’t be able to identify them. The following are a few causes for characteristics to alter:
- A finger that is burned or otherwise harmed
- A retina transplant is performed.
- Tattoos on the hands
- Expensive for Your Budget
- Scanner Problems
- Despite being dependable and practical, the system is expensive. Since biometric systems have not yet become widely used, the hardware, setup, and integration might be expensive, especially for small enterprises.
Particularly if the business uses retina scanning, some biometric systems may experience scanning problems if there is even a little alteration. The technology will malfunction if the user has long eyelashes, different eye colors, or a reflection in the cornea, making iris scanning less trustworthy than it formerly was.
Breaches of Security
In the event of a security breach, hackers frequently collect all data to later get access to restricted areas of the company.
Software Misconfiguration
Because it is an autonomous system that runs on energy, biometric technology is also unreliable. No one may enter or leave if there is a power outage. Additionally, users won’t be able to access the software until it has been fixed if there is a problem or if it malfunctions for any other reason.
No Remote Access
HR personnel cannot remotely access the system in a crisis, such as a security breach, to try and remove sensitive data, which is a significant drawback for the system.
Physical Characteristics Cannot be Changed
The biometric system has flaws, just like any other system. To improve, the system is still changing. Users cannot, therefore, rely on the security of their data.
False Positive Results
Hackers can easily modify stolen biometric data to produce false positives because hacking is a perpetual kind of cyber theft.
