A good security token is one that belongs to you in a distinctive way and that no one could know, guess or copy. This is the reason why security experts recommend us to use long and random passwords for our security. However, it is not as easy as it seems because it is difficult to memorize strong and unique passwords.
Biometric technology, as we know by now, is the technique of choice for securing any location. It had to happen telling it is as hassle-free a form of security as passwords we have to remember. In biometrics, the impressions of our fingers or thumbs not only make our work easier, but are also unique in nature.
Also, biometric technology eliminated the problem of hacking considering that it is not easy for someone to hack your fingerprints than to crack the access code. Following security best practices, setting strong passwords for separate devices and then memorizing the same passwords each time is no easy feat compared to biometrics.
So if a biometric system seems so better in every department, why is it necessary to improve it? Why is technology not yet the clever replacement for pesky passwords?
First of all, it is certain that biometrics will play an important role in future validation. But we need to understand that the system is not a cure-all at the present moment. There are still many issues that are prevalent and need to be resolved to make the technology completely invulnerable.
Many researchers in the world have stated that it is not exactly true that biometrics cannot be repeated, since they tried to fool fingerprint readers and successfully beat digital scanners through a special pair of glasses. Also, the biometrics that were initially instigated keep all the data stored on the server instead of restricting it to the client, so breaching the security system is not impossible in this case.
Last year it was reported that at an Office of Human Resources Management in the United States, the touch IDs of millions of government employees were stolen, first raising suspicions about the technology. Immediately after determining the threat, mobile companies quickly changed the fingerprint system on devices by adding a security password after Touch ID.
This data breach made it clear that biometrics are not flawless. In fact, they have simply rejected the passwords. Telling it can be very troublesome if someone can’t log in with their touch ID, every software company from Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Google’s Android have also provided a password tool to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Therefore, it is not recommended to rely on biometric authentication at this time, as it is very important to have a backup in the form of passwords. This process is called multi-factor authentication (MFA) where we can put biometrics as one of the two-way security procedures, while passwords the other.
Biometrics is indeed a fantastic method of verification, but the technology is still not completely foolproof. Therefore, it should not be taken as an absolute replacement for passwords, but should be implemented together with them to improve protection.
