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 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 at the moment, is the favored technique for securing any place. It had to happen telling it is as trouble-free a form of security as the 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 it is to crack the passcode. Following security best practices, setting strong passwords for separate devices and then memorizing the same ones each time is not easy compared to biometrics.
So if a biometric system seems so better in every department, why does it need to be improved? Why is technology still not the cunning replacement for annoying passwords?
First of all, it is a certain fact 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 time. There are still many prevailing issues that need to be resolved for the technology to be completely invulnerable.
Many researchers in the world have stated that it is not exactly true that biometrics cannot be repeated, as they tried to fool fingerprint readers and successfully bypassed digital scanners through a pair of special glasses. Also, the biometrics that was initially instigated keeps 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 in a United States Office of Human Resources Management, the touch IDs of millions of government employees were stolen, first raising suspicions about the technology. Immediately after determining the threat, mobile companies quickly modified the fingerprint system on the 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. Counting it can become very problematic if someone can’t log in with their Touch ID, every software company from Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Google’s Android has 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 not yet completely foolproof. Therefore, it should not be taken as an absolute replacement for passwords, but should be implemented alongside them to improve protection.
