What Is Biometric Verification?
Digital security is a whole new branch of study and research at this point in time. Every now and then, engineers find a new or better way to protect your online identity and network.
Digital security demands resources that can be put to work in order to protect huge networks dedicated to companies and other organisations.
With increasing cyber security threats, the layers of security increased, too. This is where multi-factor authentication and biometric verification come into play. Let us understand what biometric identity verification is, how it is related to multi-factor authentication, and how it works!
Biometric Verification
Biometric verification is one of the latest forms of verification and an addition to the list of things used for digital security. Verification refers to the process of putting a stamp on or validating the identity of the user. When we use biometrics to verify the identity of a user, it is called biometric verification.
Let’s understand biometrics in simplified terms.
Each person has unique physical attributes. It has been proven that every human being has a unique fingerprint. No fingerprint is similar, exactly the same, to others. Even identical twins have distinct fingerprints. The same goes for eyeballs, irises, retina, voice texture, pitch, velocity, DNA, blood samples, mannerisms, habits, and so forth.
Now when humans are naturally evolved to be distinct creatures, isn’t it the best and most efficient way to prove and validate their identity? Governments use fingerprints and face scans to catch the culprit. Your company’s network can use it to authenticate the user and authorise their access!
Hence, these physical attributes, famously fingerprints, irises, and voice recognition, are used for verification in digital security systems, and these systems are called biometric verifications.
Types of Biometric Recognition Verification
* Retina/Iris/Eyeball Recognition
The system stores the data of your eyeball/iris/retina for further verification. This is called eyeball recognition. You have to stand/place your eye in front of the eye scanner and let the machine scan your eyes for verification. It will compare this new input with the stored one and accept or deny your access to the concerned network or space.
* Fingerprint Recognition
The system stores the information related to your fingerprint for verification purposes (usually your thumb or index finger).
* Voice Recognition
Your voice sample is stored in the form of data at the time of registration and is used to verify your authority to access the network or room.
* Mannerism/Habit Recognition
Your unique mannerisms, like the way you type, the pressure you apply on the keyboard, your body balance, etc., are used to verify your identity. This is not the most used way of verification.
* DNA Recognition
The DNA data of the registered user is stored and utilised in order to authenticate their authority to access certain spaces, online or offline.
Biometric Verification in Multi-factor Authentication
Now, email accounts, registered accounts for websites, and your personal networks need protection; so do bank accounts, sensitive transactions, and interactions between important government accounts. Every added layer of protection needs to be strong and effective. Hence, biometrics is used along with a few other types of security layers.
So, yes! Biometric verification is used in multi-factor authentication security solutions. It usually stands after the second factor of verification. Let us see how a generic multi-factor authentication works.
- The first factor (knowledge: something you know) is your login username and password that you have memorised.
- The second factor (possession: something you own) is the one-time password sent to you on the mobile number or email account that you own.
- The third factor (inherence: something you have) is your registered fingerprint or iris.
It is a common practice to utilise biometric information to identify, verify, and authenticate the user’s identity. Let us look at the process of how biometric verification works.
Biometric Verification Procedure
Let us go through the process from the beginning.
1. Registration
When you first register yourself with a website, application, organisation, or anything that has a security system in place, they demand a few necessary details in order to subscribe you as the user of the services they provide. If the registration includes multi-factor authentication, you will have to submit your biometric information along with the primary details, like name, age, official documents, identity proof, etc.
2. Information Storage
The system will store the entire data you submit in the program. So, everything you enter or register with the system will be saved for future verification purposes.
3. Assess
Later on, when you go back to log into the system, the system will ask you the necessities and then your biometric data. The system then assesses all the inputs and compares the inputs with the stored data in the system.
4. Identity Verification
Once the assessment is done, the system either accepts or denies access to the user in question (you).
This entire process can be used for some really high-level security needs. We can list out the types of businesses, organisations, or websites that use such high-tech security systems.
- Banking and finance organisations
- Legal enforcement bureau
- Medical and healthcare sector
- Online banking transactions
- Government organisations
- Travel and immigration business
- Electronic devices
- Stock market applications
- Border control
- Automation industry
Biometrics has numerous advantages due to which it is considered to be the best way to verify the identity of the user. It is difficult to fake, is extremely accurate, and saves time. It also has a few drawbacks, like its expensive nature, the government can make use of this data without the user’s consent, and it can be faked using some scammy methods.
But we can say that the advantages outweigh these drawbacks, and hence, biometrics is preferred by major banking organisations and leading companies in the world.
Ending Note
With the increase in security issues in the digital space, security is levelling up, too. With the increase in awareness and growing effort towards research and studies on digital safety, there are advancements we observe every other day.
Some methods like biometric authentication and verification can be considered the cornerstones of the security industry. If you make this purchase from trusted security service providers like Instasafe, you need to rest assured because your data, network, and authenticity will remain intact!
Surf safe and secure!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can biometric verification fight hackers online?
Biometric verification can indeed keep unknown hands off your accounts and sensitive transactions. It keeps the access at our fingertips, literally, and hence, no one else can get into your accounts. However, in some cases, if the hacker is too hell-bent on getting access, they can get your fingerprints from somewhere.
What is the difference between biometric authentication and biometric verification?
Biometric verification will verify the user’s identity and compare the stored data and new input. At the same time, biometric authentication authenticates the user’s identity by validating if it is real and denying if it is being faked.
What is safer: biometric verification or password?
Biometric identification, verification, and authentication are way safer than your login username and password.