How Secure is Biometric Authentication?

Author: huifan Time: 2021-02-19

1. How safe is biometric authentication?

Currently, organizations are facing many security challenges, especially as they continue to work remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and consider what role the “work from home” policy will play in their operations. A lot of work is done on mobile phones, computers and tablets, so new security measures must be taken to protect our data. One such innovation is biometric authentication.

Biometrics technology has quickly become a part of our lives. From technologies only seen in movies to cutting-edge technologies that are used multiple times a day, biometric authentication has become a force that cannot be ignored.

2. What is biometric authentication?

Biometric authentication can be defined as a form of logical security that uses unique personal characteristics to verify or invalidate someone trying to access the device. The fingerprint and facial recognition functions used on the latest generation of smartphones are perfect examples of biometric authentication. Biometric security can easily enhance the protection of the system by providing it with a unique form of credentials that cannot be copied, making it easier to control who can access the secure data and environment.

3. What is biometric data?

In short, any information related to identifying unique human characteristics can be classified as biometric data. There are several different types of biometric data:

Fingerprint: This is the identification of the unique ridge of the finger. Fingerprint scanning is one of the oldest and most widely used forms of biometric identification.
Hand geometry: Hand geometry used to be a major method of biometrics. It consists of hand features (such as the width and length of the fingers).
Iris recognition: This technique can measure the unique folds of the linear muscles in the iris.
Retina scan: They use a unique near-infrared camera to capture the capillaries deep in the eye.
Facial recognition: Verifies the identity of a person by measuring facial structure and geometric shapes.
Speech recognition: The sound produced by a person's voice depends on the shape of the vocal tract, including mouth, nose and throat. The way a person speaks (tone, pace, movement changes, accent, etc.) is also unique. The biometric privacy system uses these two qualities to recognize the human voice.

the future development of face recognition

Thermal imager recognition: The biometric facial thermal imager can capture the thermal pattern caused by blood moving under the skin.
Behavioral characteristics: Analyze the way people interact with the computer system (for example, monitoring keystrokes, mouse movements, printing patterns, and device handling) to determine whether they are who they claim to be.

The ideal security solution utilizes multiple biometrics as part of a multi-factor authentication system. The advantage of multi-factor authentication is that unauthorized users are unlikely to obtain all the necessary credentials to gain access. This is especially true when it comes to biometric data, which is difficult to forge due to its highly complex nature.

4. How does biometric authentication work

Suppose you put your finger on the fingerprint device, then you already have an understanding of how biometric authentication works. The scanner will obtain all your biometric information, such as fingerprint or facial scan information, and store it in a secure database for future reference. When you try to access the device, the scanner will get all the biometric information again and check against the previous readings.

The biometric system consists of three elements:

Sensor: Whether it is a fingerprint scanner for bank or a facial recognition camera, the scanner is responsible for capturing biometric data and inputting it into the biometric security system.
Database: Biometric information must be stored after collection. Data is usually encrypted and stored in a secure server in a data center or cloud environment.
Software: As long as someone shows a biometric certificate, biometric authentication software can handle all analysis and comparisons. The software will search for appropriate matches and determine whether they should be granted access.

4. Can biometric technology be hacked?

Although the benefits of biometric authentication are obvious, many people quickly ask whether their biometric data can prevent hackers and data leakage. There is not much reason to worry, because the software that supports this technology is prepared for any type of threat, but some common-sense security measures can still be used to protect the safety of biometric data.

5. cyber security

Biometric data is usually stored in a database, which is subject to the same security concerns as any other network system. This means that strong authentication measures must be taken to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access. Both data at rest/encryption of data in transit and multi-factor authentication protocols should be regarded as the basic security elements of any network storing biometric data.

6. Latest software

Another good way to keep biometric data safe is to keep software and firmware up to date. Whenever your device manufacturer or software manufacturer informs you about the latest security patch or software update, make sure to install it immediately. One of the unfortunate disadvantages of announcing patches and updates is that they warn hackers and other cybercriminals about existing software vulnerabilities. Don't waste any time updating the system, and make sure that any cloud provider you work with has its patches.

7. About Chongqing Huifan Technology

Huafan Group is located in Chongqing, southwestern China. Her HFSecurity, BIO, Heystar and other brands are widely used in the fields of interior decoration, electric current, safety and protection. We have established the most professional and experienced teams in China (Shenzhen and Chongqing), Pakistan and the United Kingdom to provide you with one-stop security protection solutions.

We provide safe integrated solutions and products with a professional attitude. Committed to customer success, we have provided 90% positive feedback to thousands of partners in the past 10 years. We will continue to move forward, create customer interest, create opportunities for employees, and create value for stories.