Biometric Verification: Advantages and Disadvantages (Year 2024)
In an increasingly digital world, the need for secure and reliable identification methods has become paramount. One such method gaining traction across various industries is biometric authentication. This technology, which identifies individuals based on their unique physical traits, is playing a significant role in safeguarding sensitive operations, from financial transactions to online education platforms.
Securing Digital Spaces
Biometric authentication is not just confined to the financial sector. It is also used in peer-to-peer services, e-commerce, gaming, streaming services, online education platforms, and more. The technology is employed to prevent multi-accounting, promo abuse fraud, and even arbitrage betting. By verifying the identity of users through their unique biometrics, these services can ensure fair play and prevent fraudulent activities.
Enhanced Security, Unique Risks
While biometric authentication offers stronger security compared to traditional methods like passwords and PINs, it does come with its own set of challenges. The immutable nature of biometric data means that if stolen, these identifiers cannot be changed. Historic breaches, such as the 2015 US government fingerprint leak, demonstrate the potential impact of such incidents.
On the other hand, traditional credentials can be stolen or guessed, leading to a higher risk of account takeover and fraud. However, biometric data breaches can be more severe due to the sensitive nature of the data.
Balancing Security and Privacy
Biometric systems raise privacy concerns as they collect sensitive, personal biological data. Modern standards like WebAuthn and FIDO2 address these concerns by keeping biometric templates local on devices and never transmitting raw biometric data to servers, reducing mass data breach risks and improving user trust.
Despite these measures, central storage of biometric databases remains a vulnerability. Data encryption and cloud security are crucial to ensure the protection of this sensitive information.
Combating Deepfakes
Biometric authentication can also play a significant role in combating the threats posed by deepfakes. Liveness detection, behavioural biometrics, and multi-factor authentication are key strategies in this fight. By combining biometric authentication with other verification methods, such as one-time passcodes, the risk of successful deepfake attacks can be significantly reduced.
The Future of Biometric Authentication
Multi-modal biometric authentication, which combines two or more distinct biometric traits, is becoming more prevalent. This practice offers a robust defense against potential vulnerabilities and provides a higher assurance of user identity.
As the world grapples with the rising tide of cybercrime—with global cybercrime estimated to amount to $10.5 trillion per year by 2025—the need for secure and reliable identification methods is more critical than ever. Biometric authentication, with its unique blend of security and privacy benefits, is poised to play a significant role in this battle.
[1] WebAuthn: https://webauthn.org/ [2] FIDO2: https://fidoalliance.org/fido2/ [3] Sumsub's Liveness Detection solution: https://sumsub.com/liveness-detection [4] Cybersecurity Ventures: https://cybersecurityventures.com/ [5] Biometric data breaches: https://www.privacyinternational.org/research-analysis/273/breached-biometrics-the-risks-of-biometric-data-breaches
- The business sector, including peer-to-peer services, e-commerce, gaming, streaming services, online education platforms, and more, leverage biometric authentication to ensure fair play, prevent fraudulent activities, and secure personal-finance transactions.
- While biometric authentication offers enhanced security, it introduces its own set of challenges, such as the immutable nature of the data, which if stolen, cannot be changed, as demonstrated in the 2015 US government fingerprint leak.
- To address privacy concerns and mitigate risks, standards such as WebAuthn and FIDO2 are employed, keeping biometric templates local on devices and never transmitting raw biometric data to servers, while data encryption and cloud security are crucial to protect this sensitive information.
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