Multi biometric security: improving the security of authentication
The safety chain always breaks by the same link: the human one. A clear example: One out of three people do not protect his/her smartphone with a password or a pattern, according to a study by McAfee. And that’s not all: 55% of users have shared their unlock codes with others; more than ten percent used the same password for all of their devices, and 15% keep their passwords on their mobile devices, without protection of any kind or a password manager.
Users do not feel comfortable with passwords, and what is even more disturbing: they don’t use them correctly. The most popular password in the world remains «123456», along with «password», «12345678» or «qwerty».
A matter of time … and comfort.
Why is all this happening, precisely at a time when consumers are more and more concerned about the privacy and the security of their data? The answer is in the comfort. Normally, a lot of users don’t want to remember different passwords or keys for each online service, or are unaware of the low security level that these behaviors carry for all aspects of their digital life, or are not even aware of their risk, but still they are willing to assume for the sake of efficiency: again, the feeling of comfort overcomes security.
What is proposed as a complement? Something that combines safety and convenience: biometric systems.
In fact, industry has already begun to implement biometric systems to identify users in a comfortable manner, with examples such as Apple’s TouchID system (an affordable biometric recognition system that uses user’s fingerprint identification).
Fingerprint: there are still many risks involved
However, and although were are speaking here about a relatively mature technology, fingerprint recognition systems neither are perfect, nor are completely safe. Let’s go for another example: the german hacker group known as Chaos Computer Club managed to outwit Apple Touch ID system using a photo of a fingerprint taken from a glass surface, to create from it a false finger that unlocked the device. Shortly after that, a member of the same group, Jan Krissler, managed to clone the fingerprint of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, photographing his hands from a long distance during a press conference.
Improving safety: multibiometric systems
The risk of spoofing can be lowered in two ways: either by using much more sophisticated and expensive systems that also use much more complex sensors, or using traditional passwords or key codes along with single or multi-factor authentication, that is: a combination of biometric identification systems, such as the combination of facial recognition systems with handwritten signature recognition systems or with speaker recognition systems; all in the company of a more traditional memory-based security system. The mere fact of combining two biometric identification systems increases greatly the safety of the devices, especially if each one of them is already a secure system per se. The result of the aforementioned relationship is not a sum, but a multiplication. In addition it is a low cost one -comparatively-, since all current devices already incorporate the necessary sensors (camera, multi-touch screen or microphone) to deploy these security measures.
Scenarios
Traditional commerce, eCommerce, or mobile banking transactions may be the major beneficiaries of these combined multifactor measures to identify buyers, according to Computerworld. Banking and Fintech startups are concerned about security breaches of the existing mobile payment systems and demand more security. In fact, they are already beginning to bet on biometrics solutions that integrate different systems to identify the buyer, such as facial, voice, handwritten signature or behavioral recognition systems; all combined with traditional passwords.
Gradiant Biometrics
Gradiant Biometrics team holds more than ten years of experience in biometric research, and has achieved remarkable success transferring our proven technologies to industry sectors such as banking, health or security.
In Gradiant we believe that the key to a successful development of a biometric system is linked to three major concepts: safety, comfort and availability, so we integrate these three principles in all of our developments.
Following this philosophy, we offer the industry our biometric technologies for mobile devices in three complementary ways: face, voice and signature recognition. The three variants can be used separately or in combination, to increase their safety and effectiveness.
Our research lines:
- Face Recognition
- Speaker Recognition
- Handwritten Signature Recognition
- Liveness Detection
- Biometric Template Protection
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For futher information about our biometrics technologies, visit www.biometricsbygradiant.com
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