Biometrics in the Cyber World

by Victoria Hargrove, Reporter, CDM

In today’s society, digital threats are happening at a consistent and concerning rate. Traditional authentication methods no longer stand a chance against preventing these threats. Homeland Security defines biometrics as “a measurable biological-anatomical and physiological-and behavioral characteristic that can be used for automated recognition.” Using biometrics can offer a more guaranteed and secure approach to preventing digital attacks. Biometrics is known to offer better security, privacy, and convenience, which has put it on the radar for top cybersecurity strategies. The following article will discuss biometrics, its challenges, and the future of biometrics.

Biometrics entails the use of biological and behavioral characteristics for verification of a person’s identity. Other security authentications, such as passwords or security tokens, can be stolen or lost, while biometric data is directly related to the person’s identity. The most common biometric identifiers include:

• Fingerprint scanning- One’s unique pattern located on a person’s finger
• Facial Recognition- To examine one’s facial features and structure to identify someone
• Voice Recognition- Identifies people based on vocal pattern
• Behavioral Biometrics- The study of user behavior, things like typing speed, mouse movement, etc.

Biometrics is known to strengthen security in many ways. Some ways this could include stronger authentication, user convenience, and reduction of risk of identity theft. With the uniqueness of the user, this adds a layer of security to authentication. Traditional authentication, such as passwords, contains weak combinations that can easily be breached, so using biometrics can prevent that. People constantly forget their passwords and always end up resetting them. Since biometrics is entirely connected with one’s identity, it will no longer be an inconvenience to forget a password. Since it is very usual for hackers to attempt to get into an account by guessing the password, biometrics does not accommodate this since a hacker cannot guess a password when the uniqueness of one’s identity is what is sought for authentication. This is one of the pros of biometric systems, which should reduce the risk of identity theft.

Some challenges that biometrics could have include privacy concerns, false positives and negatives, and bias. Since it is personal information, biometric data can lead to privacy violations. Storage of personal data, which is sensitive, needs to be following the regulations on privacy such as GDPR and CCPA. While passwords can be reset and things like fingerprints cannot, organizations must take extreme measures to protect the databases of biometrics with appropriate safe storage. Technology is not perfect, and neither is biometric detection. This sometimes causes the system to identify the wrong person, which is dangerous in critical applications. Some facial recognition systems also have a bias when it comes to people of color. Ensuring that biometric algorithms are trained on diverse data sets will go a long way in ensuring that discrimination does not occur.

The future of biometrics is promising, with continuous improvement in the security, accuracy, and privacy-friendliness of the systems. Some of the emerging technologies are behavioral biometrics, biometric cryptography, AI, and machine learning. Measuring one’s behavioral biometrics will allow one to track unique patterns in real time. This can be useful in online transactions by detecting fraud. Biometric cryptography consists of the integration of biometric data within cryptographic keys for the enhancement of data security and safeguarding organizations from breaches. Employ AI to make biometric systems more unbiased and accurate at facial recognition, which will help to make the technology all-inclusive.

Biometrics will continue to reshape the very foundation of modern cybersecurity into more secure and user-friendly authentication. This will go on to replace traditional authentication in the future when the technology is fully grown, hence giving way to a future where our unique biology shall be the key to digital services. However, such a future comes with challenges that must be addressed: perils that surround privacy, data protection, and fairness. This, therefore, calls for deeper collaboration between organizations and policymakers in the design of frameworks that ensure the ethical and secure usage of biometrics. The integration of biometrics with technologies like AI and blockchain on the path ahead could also be foreseen for developing new possibilities in securing our increasingly digital world.

Sources
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/device-security-guidance/policies-and-settings/using-biometrics
https://gca.isa.org/blog/5-benefits-of-implementing-biometric-authentication-in-cybersecurity
https://www.upguard.com/blog/the-future-of-biometric-data-protection#:~:text=Artificial%20Intelligence%20(AI)%20and%20machine,fend%20off%20sophisticated%20cyber%20threats.
https://www.dhs.gov/biometrics#:~:text=Biometrics%20are%20unique%20physical%20characteristics,be%20used%20for%20automated%20recognition.

About Victoria Hargrove

Victoria is an award-winning independent Reporter for Cyber Defense Magazine and a 2024 graduate of George Mason University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems. Her academic journey included a comprehensive focus on cybersecurity, with coursework in networks and security, information security and assurance, programming, and networking, among other areas. Building on this foundation, she will begin her Master’s degree in Cybersecurity at Old Dominion University in the spring, while concurrently pursuing the CompTIA Security+ certification.  Currently employed as a full-time Security Analyst at TJX Companies, Victoria’s role involves critical responsibilities such as identifying security threats, investigating phishing attacks, and remediating various security issues. Her experience in these areas allows her to apply her theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges, positioning her as a skilled professional in the cybersecurity domain.  In addition to her academic and professional goals, Victoria is deeply committed to community engagement, particularly in supporting underrepresented groups in technology. She believes that education is a powerful tool for creating opportunities, and she is passionate about mentoring and outreach. In her own words: “Education has opened doors for me, and I aspire to do the same for others. Mentorship and outreach for underrepresented groups in technology is something I’m passionate about. I know true success is measured by how much we can lift others as we climb.”  As she continues to advance her knowledge and expertise, Victoria remains eager to engage in research and tackle the evolving challenges of the cybersecurity landscape.

Victoria can be reached online at [email protected].