FEATURE
Benoit Jouffrey , Thales Digital Identity & Security CTO
Cyberattacks are on the rise . It seems we can ’ t go a month without news of yet another network security breach , critical infrastructure attack or ransomware incident impacting an organisation .
Cybercriminals and bad actors are getting smarter and in a world where people are working from anywhere , organisations need to find ways to improve their network and data security . This partly comes by implementing stronger and smarter authentication systems . Passwords , while familiar , have widely known flaws – which makes biometrics more and more appealing .
The benefits of biometric security
Biometrics are a type of security that verifies a user ’ s behavioural and physical characteristics to identify them . It is widely thought of as the most accurate and strongest physical security technique for identity verification .
Most of us use biometric authentication every day – the use of fingerprint scanners or facial ID is commonplace on most smartphones now . Biometric security systems are like this , but on a much wider scale .
Biometrics can increase efficiency by removing the need for manual checks , providing both convenience and security , as there are no security tokens to carry or passwords to remember . They ’ re difficult to duplicate and remain the same throughout the user ’ s lifetime .
The prevalence and acceptance of biometrics as a form of identification is also on the rise . Aside from the smartphone example , biometrics are commonly used in a number of industries , including financial services , where they often take the form of biometric bank cards . By integrating a fingerprint scanner into the card , banks can afford consumers unparalleled security when making payments , in a convenient way , to protect their financial information from fraudsters .
They ’ re also taking off in the travel industry . Solutions such as Fly to Gate are designed specifically to improve and streamline the passenger experience – while satisfying robust security protocols . Digital ID and facial biometrics can be harnessed to do just that – removing the need for passengers to show a ticket or ID at every checkpoint . Through automated biometric and document verification technologies , the process is simplified for both passengers , airports and airlines , increasing efficiency and providing integrated security too .
Securing biometric technology
The need for this unambiguous and secure identification and authentication method has encouraged a massive deployment of biometric systems worldwide . Increased public acceptance and familiarity , improvements in sensitivity and accuracy and reduced costs for the sensors , cameras and software required have accelerated this adoption .
Here are some examples :
• Today , over 1.2B electronic passports are in circulation . They included a standardised International Civil Aviation Organisation-compliant holder ’ s picture and fingerprints in many countries .
• The Indian biometric identification scheme consolidates the biometric and demographic data of over 1.26B residents .
• Many ID schemes around the world already integrate an electronic chip which securely stores biometric data – such as a picture and fingerprints – in addition to the biographical ( name , date and place of birth ) data .
It ’ s a windfall for access , travel ( self-service kiosks and automatic gates ) but also civil identification , Electronic Know Your Customer / Client ( eKYC ) procedures , online customer registration and authentication and more . Needless to say that biometric systems are also crucial for critical infrastructures such as border control , law enforcement , health and subsidies and population and voter registration .
It ’ s in these examples where we tend to see not a combination of modalities www . intelligentciso . com
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