Biometrics are well-established as the leading technology for strong authentication. Many serious security systems use biometrics to verify user identity.

What Is Facial Recognition?

Facial recognition is a method of verifying a user’s identity using their facial features. It captures a picture of a person’s face, analyzes facial features, and compares them to a database of templates to verify a user’s identity.

Facial recognition is increasingly popular, specifically for multi-factor authentication, due to the proliferation of mobile devices and computers equipped with high-end cameras.

Is Facial Recognition Secure Compared to Other Biometrics?

Facial recognition is just one form of biometric ID that comes with some specific comparisons with other established biometrics. These include:

• Fingerprint Authentication: Fingerprint matching and biometrics have been around much longer than facial recognition and as such, can be more accurate because it is easier to capture and analyze the unique ridges and patterns on a person’s fingers. However, fingerprints could be more easily spoofed than facial features.
• Iris Recognition: Iris recognition is another highly accurate form of biometric authentication based on the unique patterns in a person’s iris. Iris patterns are highly unique, potentially more so than fingerprints, and are thus very secure. However, iris recognition requires a high-quality eye image, and facial scanners are more convenient.
• Voice Recognition: Voice authentication is a form of biometric authentication that analyzes a person’s voice to verify their identity. Voice testing is much more convenient to implement but is much less secure due to the apparent ease of spoofing voices via modulation.
• Behavioral Biometrics: Behavioral biometrics is a form of biometric authentication that analyzes a person’s behavior, such as their typing patterns, accent, or mouse movements, to verify their identity. Generally, behaviors are easier to fake if the person is able to understand the behavior and mimic it.

What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Facial Recognition?

Facial recognition is a secure and convenient form of authentication that has many potential benefits, regardless of how it compares to other forms of biometric authentication.

The benefits of using facial recognition for authentication include:

• Added Security: Facial recognition is secure because it relies on unique physical characteristics that are difficult to spoof. This means it is much harder for an unauthorized person to access a secure area or device, especially when the hacker doesn’t have immediate access to the user’s devices.
• Convenience: Facial recognition is a convenient form of authentication because most mobile devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops, include quality digital cameras that can capture high-definition images and videos.
• Contactless: Facial recognition is a contactless form of authentication that works well in situations where fingerprint use isn’t desirable.
• Scalability: Facial recognition can authenticate large groups of people quickly and efficiently, making it ideal for use in high-traffic areas like airports and stadiums.

Conversely, there are some challenges around facial recognition technology as well:

• Privacy Concerns: Facial recognition technology can capture and store images of people’s faces, raising concerns about privacy and data protection.
• False Readings: Facial recognition technology can be inaccurate, especially when lighting and cameras need to be optimized. This leads to the phenomenon of false negatives (or a complete lack of recognition despite the correct user presenting their face) or false positives (where the wrong face is read as a legitimate user).
• Security Risks: There are also risks associated with the security of facial recognition systems. There have been some complicated proof-of-concept facial recognition spoofers, and it’s possible that hackers can steal facial information from databases.

Where Is Facial Recognition Used?

Because of its usability and security, facial recognition has been deployed in various industries. Here are some examples of how facial recognition is being used in different industries:

• Physical Security Applications: In office buildings or data centers, facial recognition technology can be used to verify the identity of individuals through face scanners to maintain a secure perimeter around data-processing devices.
• Banking and Finance: Face recognition can be used in banking and payment systems to verify the identity of account holders accessing accounts from mobile applications, bypassing the need for passwords.
• Travel: Facial recognition can be used in travel applications, such as passport control and airport security. For example, some hotels use facial scanning to streamline check-in procedures–a major benefit in a world where contactless interactions are much more common.
• Entertainment: Facial recognition can be used in entertainment applications, such as ticketing and attendance tracking. Some organizations, such as Major League Baseball, are using facial recognition to ID ticket holders at event gates so that attendance can be automated without sacrificing accuracy.

Implement Facial Recognition with Enterprise Authentication Through 1Kosmos

Facial biometrics seem like a no-brainer in terms of strong authentication. Everyone can leverage the technology, it’s easy to decentralize, and it’s very secure once everything is said and done.

Having facial recognition implemented without a solid security foundation is like covering mud with ice cream. To get the most out of biometrics like facial recognition, you need robust authentication and identity verification that can support users throughout your enterprise.

This solution is 1Kosmos. With 1Kosmos BlockID, you can leverage the following features:

• Identity-Based Authentication: We push biometrics and authentication into a new “who you are” paradigm. BlockID uses biometrics to identify individuals, not devices, through credential triangulation and identity verification.
• Identity Proofing: BlockID verifies identity anywhere, anytime and on any device with over 99% accuracy.
• Privacy by Design: Embedding privacy into the design of our ecosystem is a core principle of 1Kosmos. We protect personally identifiable information in a distributed identity architecture, and the encrypted data is only accessible by the user.
• Private and Permissioned Blockchain: 1Kosmos protects personally identifiable information in a private and permissioned blockchain, encrypts digital identities, and is only accessible by the user. The distributed properties ensure no databases to breach or honeypots for hackers to target.
• Interoperability: BlockID can readily integrate with existing infrastructure through its 50+ out-of-the-box integrations or via API/SDK.

If you’re ready to learn about BlockID and how it can help you remain compliant and secure, read more about our Passwordless Enterprise solutions. Make sure you sign up for the 1Kosmos email newsletter for updates on products and events.

The post What Is Facial Recognition & How Does It Work? appeared first on 1Kosmos.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Identity & Authentication Blog authored by Javed Shah. Read the original post at: https://www.1kosmos.com/identity-management/facial-recognition/