Biometrics

Biometrics are rising as an advanced layer to many personal and enterprise security systems. With the unique identifiers of your biology and behaviors, this may seem foolproof. However, biometric identity has made many cautious about its use as standalone authentication.

Modern cybersecurity is focused on reducing the risks for this powerful security solution: traditional passwords have long been a point of weakness for security systems. Biometrics aims to answer this issue by linking proof-of-identity to our bodies and behavior patterns.

Authentication by biometric verification is becoming increasingly common in corporate and public security systems, consumer electronics and point-of-sale applications. In addition to security, the driving force behind biometric verification has been convenience, as there are no passwords to remember or security tokens to carry. Some biometric methods, such as measuring a person's gait, can operate with no direct contact with the person being authenticated.

Biometric identifiers depend on the uniqueness of the factor being considered. For example, fingerprints are generally considered to be highly unique to each person. Fingerprint recognition, especially as implemented in Apple's Touch ID for previous iPhones, was the first widely used mass-market application of a biometric authentication factor.