Biometrics is a Multi-Billion Dollar Security Hole

What is biometrics?

• Biometrics involves the utilization of distinct physiological or behavioral traits of humans to authenticate or identify individuals.

However, biometrics authentication technology is inherently probabilistic, and unreliable, and hence biometrics lowers security.

• Biometrics is not a fallacy, it is real.

• But, biometrics can compromise security.

The biometrics industry holds a huge market cap.

• The global biometrics market cap is 30+ billion dollars in 2023.

• The biometrics market forecast for 2032 is 144+ billion dollars.

The market cap of an industry reflects people's interest in the industrial products and solutions.

However, the amount of investment in an industry doesn't prove the strength, quality, and reliability of the particular industrial products and solutions.

Biometrics is not a fallacy but can lower security.

People must know the inconvenient truths about biometrics authentication technology.

• Biometrics is probabilistic but not deterministic.

• Biometrics recognition is unreliable due to the False Match Rate and False Rejection Rate.

• Biometrics spoofing technology is progressing fast.

• Biometrics traits can't be kept secret.

• Biometrics data, once stolen/hacked, are lost forever.

• Liveness detection is a fragile solution to biometrics spoofing attacks. (There are hypes about bounty programs)

• Biometrics can't avoid 'credential stuffing' (reusing the same passwords and usernames).

Considering the security-lowering features of biometrics, may we conclude that biometrics is a multi-billion-dollar hole in the security industry?

Biometrics opens a security dilemma.

• Due to several drawbacks, biometrics technology doesn't give us the confidence to adopt it for authentication tasks.

• The adopters of biometrics-only authentication worldwide may fall into the catastrophic black hole of no return.

Biometrics may be used in very limited applications, such as access entry under the supervision of security staff or digital forensics to help the police department get additional information about criminals.

Would you accept biometrics as your default authentication factor for your banking transactions or locking your cryptocurrency wallets?

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<> Originally published on LinkedIn and Publish0x.

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I am a researcher and contribute to the overlapping areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). I am an active user and promoter of GNU/Linux, Free and Open Source Software. I develop cybersecurity and information security solutions, specifically graphical authentication security.

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Debesh Choudhury

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January 25, 2024