Unauthorized access methods are becoming more diverse and sophisticated, and the threat is increasing year by year. Serious damage such as the leakage of personal information and confidential data, and the falsification of important data is occurring one after another in everyday life, regardless of the size of the company. Under these circumstances, as the importance of security increases, attention is being paid to biometric authentication, which provides a higher level of security.
In this column, we will introduce the basics of biometric authentication, its types, use cases, and the importance of security. We will also touch on the spread of biometric authentication technology and its future prospects.
1. What is biometric authentication?
Biometric authentication is a technology that uses an individual’s biometric characteristics, such as fingerprints, face, or voiceprint, to verify an individual’s identity. This technology achieves a higher level of security than conventional authentication methods. For example, authentication using a password or IC card poses the risk of unauthorized access through spoofing if someone steals the password or loses the card. However, biometric authentication uses an individual’s biometric characteristics, so the risk of spoofing is lower.
2. Types and features of biometric authentication
There are various types of biometric authentication, including fingerprint authentication, facial authentication, voiceprint authentication, etc. Let’s take a look at the features and advantages of each.
“Fingerprint authentication”
Individuals are identified by analyzing the patterns on the surface of their fingers. Human fingerprints have individual patterns that are unique and have characteristics that clearly distinguish them from others. To perform fingerprint authentication, a sensor reads the finger pattern and converts it into data. Then, by comparing this data with pre-registered fingerprint data, individuals can be identified. Fingerprint authentication is also used to unlock mobile phones.
“Facial recognition”
This method extracts facial feature points, digitizes them, and then compares them. Each face has different characteristics, such as the position of the eyes, the shape of the nose, and the shape of the mouth. To perform facial recognition, a camera or sensor first reads the facial feature points and digitizes them. This is then compared with pre-registered facial data to identify the individual. Facial recognition is a highly convenient method, as it can be done without contact. Facial recognition is also used for authenticating credit card payments, etc.
“Voiceprint authentication”
This technology identifies individuals by analyzing the frequency and characteristics of their voices. Human voiceprints have individual characteristics that make them easy to distinguish. To perform voiceprint authentication, a microphone or sensor is used to read the voice characteristics and convert them into data. This data is then compared with pre-registered voiceprint data, making it possible to identify the individual. Voiceprint authentication is used as a means of verifying the identity of a subscriber when they call a call center.
As mentioned above, there are various types of biometric authentication, such as fingerprint authentication, face authentication, and voiceprint authentication. Each method has its own unique characteristics and high identification ability. In addition, they are highly convenient, such as being contactless, and contribute to improving security, making the usefulness of biometric authentication technology clear.
3. Use cases of biometric authentication
Biometric authentication is used in a wide range of fields. A familiar example is its use as a substitute for passwords, such as when unlocking a smartphone. Biometric authentication has also been introduced in financial institutions and public transportation, helping to improve security. In fields other than security, biometric authentication is also used in companies and hospitals for attendance management and medical information management.
4. Why biometric authentication enhances security
Biometric authentication enhances security for several reasons.
First, password authentication, which is a traditional authentication method, has the risk of being easily guessed or stolen. Security can be strengthened by setting complex passwords, but on the other hand, the burden of remembering complex passwords and the need to regularly change them become cumbersome.
In this respect, biometric authentication makes it more difficult to gain unauthorized access through impersonation, since it uses an individual’s biometric information. Fingerprints, faces, and voiceprints are unique to each individual and have characteristics that are different from others. Therefore, by introducing biometric authentication, it is possible to achieve more accurate identity verification. Biometric authentication also improves convenience. It eliminates the need to remember passwords, reducing the hassle.
5. The spread of biometric authentication
In recent years, new biometric authentication methods have been appearing one after another in addition to the standard ones such as fingerprint authentication, face authentication, and voiceprint authentication. Among them, iris authentication, vein authentication, and behavioral biometric authentication are attracting attention.
“Iris authentication”
The pigmented membrane that encircles the pupil is called the iris. The iris has a complex pattern that is determined from birth. Iris authentication identifies individuals by reading this pattern. Because iris patterns are extremely complex and unique to each individual, it is extremely difficult to forge, and it has attracted attention as an authentication system that boasts high accuracy and security.
Vein authentication
Veins exist inside the human body and are highly secure compared to other biometric features. Vein authentication uses infrared or optical sensors to scan the vein patterns on parts of the body such as the fingers or wrist to identify individuals. Vein patterns are different for each individual and have their own unique characteristics. For this reason, they are difficult to forge and are attracting attention as an authentication technology with high security.
“Behavioral Biometrics”
Behavioral biometric authentication is a technology that analyzes and identifies an individual’s unique behavioral patterns. This technology uses behavioral patterns such as walking patterns, keyboard typing, mouse operation, and handwriting as authentication data. These behavioral patterns are extremely difficult to imitate, so it has attracted attention as an authentication system that provides high accuracy and security. In addition, behavioral biometric authentication is highly convenient because authentication is performed during natural movements.
Compared to conventional biometric authentication, these technologies offer greater accuracy and convenience, and are used to unlock smartphones, tablets, etc. It is expected that they will be used in an ever-increasing number of fields in the future.
6. Future outlook for biometric authentication
One biometric authentication technology that has been attracting attention recently is “multimodal biometric authentication.” This method, also known as “multi-biometric authentication,” is a method that uses a combination of two or more biometric authentication methods. Combining multiple features is expected to reduce authentication errors and improve security. In multimodal biometric authentication, typical combinations include iris authentication and face authentication, or vein authentication and fingerprint authentication. This allows two authentications to be performed with a single action, reducing the burden on users and enabling highly accurate identity authentication.
7. Conclusion
We have introduced the benefits of biometric authentication in enhancing security. Biometric authentication achieves a high level of security by using an individual’s biometric information, and also contributes to improving convenience and reducing the burden of managing passwords. In today’s world where security is becoming increasingly important, biometric authentication is attracting attention as a useful security technology. Why not consider taking advantage of the benefits of biometric authentication to implement security measures? Our company also wants to promote the commercialization of seamless payments by combining biometric authentication with cashless payments, so we will update this website with any new developments.