What is biometrics explain its importance as an effective device for curbing the virus?
Biometrics are measurable human traits, characteristics, or behaviors that can be used to verify a person's identity. For example, a person's face or fingerprints are unique to them and can be measured. So they're often used to identify a person in law enforcement applications. Show
Biometrics have been used for identity verification since 1883 when French criminologist Alphonse Bertillon first used body measurements to identify repeat offenders. Today, biometric authentication is growing in popularity for enterprises because biometrics are an effective way to control access to sensitive information, devices, or physical locations. However, biometrics aren't impenetrable and come with increased privacy risks. So any organization seeking to utilize biometrics to verify employees or end users should pay close attention to how they implement biometric identification systems. Below is what executives need to know about using biometrics for their organization. How Biometrics WorkAt the most basic level, you need two things to verify an individual's identity with a biometric identifier: a way to collect or measure the desired characteristic and a record of that characteristic to compare your measurement to. However, to automate the biometric authentication process, modern biometric systems typically require three steps:
Centralized vs. Decentralized Biometric Data Storage (and Why It Matters)Biometric data is typically stored either on a central server or the authentication device itself — with the former being a controversial method for doing so. Storing biometric data on a server like you would a password means that if the database is breached, your users' biometric data is breached. And since you can't reset biometric data like you would a password, it means your users' biometric data is compromised for the rest of their life. Device-level storage keeps biometric data distributed, which eliminates the risk of large quantities of biometric data being exposed all at once (better protection for users and organizations). Types of BiometricsWhile just about any part of a person's body can be measured, not every biometric characteristic can or should be used to verify an individual's identity. Some traits inherently carry a greater degree of uniqueness than others, and some traits are hard to measure due to technical constraints (the technology doesn't exist yet, or the trait is hard to measure). Below are the most common types of biometric characteristics in use today:
The Pros and Cons of Biometrics for CybersecurityBiometrics promise organizations improved security and better experiences for users. But they also create new risks that organizations need to account for if they choose to use them to verify employees or end users. ProsBiometrics are an effective way to verify users because biometric traits are harder to fake, replicate or transfer than traditional username/password (U/P) authentication. Research also shows that consumers prefer biometric authentication to U/P authentication because it's easier for them to authenticate themselves — they just scan their finger, and they're in. This benefits organizations because a positive user experience can also reduce security risks and offer a competitive advantage. Finally, biometric data often saves companies money because it uses less server space than traditional authentication measures and eliminates the need to reset a password.Auth0 customers report costs of up to $120 per password reset. ConsBiometric identification systems can be costly to implement if a company is installing everything from scratch. For example, although some biometric technologies like fingerprint scanners are now fairly cheap to purchase, the more accurate and reliable technologies are often quite expensive. One way to substantially bring down these costs is to use scanners within existing devices, such as mobile phones, as the authentication mechanism. And although biometrics do reduce many security risks, cybercriminals have still found ways to crack biometric authentication systems, as well as breach the databases biometric data is stored on. Biometrics are also a challenge to store securely because the hashing process used to protect passwords doesn't work with biometric data. So any organization that utilizes biometrics to verify their users has to ensure that any biometric data they store centrally is adequately encrypted or they'll put their users at risk. Common Examples of Biometrics in Use TodayBiometrics are most commonly used in smartphones, tablets, and laptops. For example, both Apple and Samsung use fingerprint and facial recognition to unlock their devices. However, enterprises, government agencies, and even law enforcement are also using a variety of biometric identifiers for access control or to verify an individual's identity.
The Future of BiometricsThe total market value of the biometrics industry is expected to grow 87% in the next five years as more organizations adopt biometric authentication to secure data, devices, and applications. As that occurs, there are several trends emerging that organizations should pay attention to:
For more information on each of these trends, see our article on biometric authentication. Learn more about implementing biometric authentication with Auth0 here. About Auth0The Auth0 Identity Platform, a product unit within Okta, takes a modern approach to identity and enables organizations to provide secure access to any application, for any user. Auth0 is a highly customizable platform that is as simple as development teams want, and as flexible as they need. Safeguarding billions of login transactions each month, Auth0 delivers convenience, privacy, and security so customers can focus on innovation. For more information, visit https://auth0.com. What is biometrics explain its importance as an effective device?Biometrics is the measurement and statistical analysis of people's unique physical and behavioral characteristics. The technology is mainly used for identification and access control or for identifying individuals who are under surveillance.
What is biometrics?For a quick biometrics definition: Biometrics are biological measurements — or physical characteristics — that can be used to identify individuals. For example, fingerprint mapping, facial recognition, and retina scans are all forms of biometric technology, but these are just the most recognized options.
How effective is biometrics?A person's voice is unique to them. Voice recognition systems are 90% accurate on average. Facial Recognition Biometrics. Research shows that an individual's face is unique when measured in sufficient detail and therefore is effective for accurately identifying them.
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