Where is Biometric Authentication Used?

In the current age of digitalization, security has become a major concern for many stakeholders. As security guru Transmit Security explains (https://www.transmitsecurity.com/blog/what-is-biometric-authentication), the sector has seen many improvements in all the areas it affects, but security concerns are still on the top of the list. The security of the individuals in the space has been compromised time and again. This has led to more stringent and newer methods of identification that do not involve passwords and numbers for data protection.

More and more authentication systems are turning to biometric data to protect users and their data. Application of biometric security has become a major component of multifactor authentication strategies as more and more systems get hacked and user information stolen.

You might be asking yourself how does biometric authentication work?

Incorporated systems that have biometric data capture do this by scanning the physical or behavioral traits of the user. Features such as fingerprints which we know to be highly individual or facial scans are taken and stored within the system. These physical features are used as they are not easy to replicate. Other ways of securing data biometrically include eye scans, heart rate scans, voice recognition and even DNA identification.

Biometric authentication of data has been introduced in security systems in some sectors mentioned below.

Personal Devices

More than 75% of individuals today have handheld devices, and more than half of these are new generation systems that ask for more and more personal information to be more personalized for the user. These systems have fallen under recent attacks, with user cloud data being hacked and personal information stolen. The introduction of biometric authentication systems has done away with the use of passwords and patterns, replacing them with facial and fingerprint scanners. People can now unlock devices by touch with scanners embedded in them and be sure their information is safe for the most part. As no fingerprints are identical, the user can be sure the data, they store on the device is safe.

Banking and Financial Services

In this century of digital awareness, even those with malicious intent have gone digital. The security of the financial and banking sectors has introduced biometric identification to all their centers. Workers report to work and are either scanned at the door facially or sign in through fingerprint scanners. With the data already registered in the system, only those with allowed access can gain entry into certain areas. Use of multiple biometric authentication methods has also been installed in more high security zones with the need of voice, fingerprint and iris scans being required before access is granted. Databases with information can only be opened by process of biometric identification and the data logged for later verification.

Healthcare

The advent of technology in healthcare has been used more in the area of identifying patients than in security. Healthcare centers scan patients to reveal their stored information and get all the data and any previous treatments or medication records. Personal identification is also logged and verified immediately for security zones and restricted access. Patient biometric data is used to monitor certain conditions and provide alerts. The use of heart rate monitors has been successful in patients with risk of heart attacks or failures in pacemakers.

Law Enforcement

One of the major sectors in the use of biometric data is in law enforcement. The non-identical nature of biometric data has proven effective in many sectors of enforcing the law. Fingerprints of individuals can be traced back to the owner immediately from databases across major security institutions, and any personal files can be accessed. This has reduced the time taken to identify culprits. Facial recognition software has also been widespread across major cities, with intelligence services using cameras placed in locations to identify suspects or individuals under investigation.

Where is biometric authentication used?

The use of biometric data in authenticating persons has been a more secure way to protect data. The vulnerability of passwords and their reuse in multiple accounts made them an easy target to crack and access systems.

As technology continues the upward trend security measures will become more stringent and improve on reducing the number of ways in which biometric software can be manipulated. More applications and systems are introducing biometrics to their security.