Is Biometrics Secure or Can be Hacked?

Now a day’s, biometrics is widely used across all sectors, especially banks, tour and travel industry, and at various national and international level. With its widespread usage, the need to secure biometric data has also risen manifolds.

Various sectors where it is used widely include:

• Forensic it is used for the surveillance, identification of criminals, probation and home arrest
• In Government, it is used for electronic voting in the local or national elections
• In Banks, it is used to access the account, online banking, ATMs, E-commerce, etc.
• In the Travelling sectors, this application is used to verify the identity of the individual at the time-traveling like air travel, passports, employee access, and border crossing

The technology, Biometrics is derived from two words, i.e. “Bio” means “living organism” and “metrics” refers to the term “application of mathematical statistics”.  It studies the physio- behavioral features of the human body for authentication and identification, like,

• Finger and Palm Print,
• Face, Iris, and Retina Recognition,
• Hand Geometry,
• Gait Pattern,
• DNA Matching,
• Voice Recognition,
• A Signature, and Typing Rhythm, etc.

Advantages of Using Biometric Systems

It can store and secure the data in large quantities for a long time period, which comes helpful in the case of emergency like the accidental case, criminal investigation, etc., or we can say that it is a blueprint of the human body.

This is the greatest security processor from the forensic science point of view and the other security purposes. Once you start using this technology, then need to remember all things like passwords and your security gets eliminated as it is always with you wherever you go.

Here are a few advantages of using this system:

High security and assurance: Biometric identification answers the question "what a person has and is" and aids in identity verification.

User Experience: Simple and quick.

Non-transferable (non-transferable): Everyone has access to a set of biometrics that is unique to them.

Theft: Biometrics are difficult to forge or steal.

Disadvantages of Using Biometric Systems

Facial recognition can be easily fooled by using the higher resolution video or a photograph of the person. In this technology an algorithm is made by the device which cannot tell the difference between the digital image and the real face.

Similarly, the voice recognition can be hoaxed by using the recorded tape in the other devices.

As well as in the iris recognition technology was also hacked by the hackers by using high-resolution images of 1200 dpi in which 75% of the eye is visible.

These major drawbacks have to be kept in mind while using this technology.

A few major disadvantages of biometric technology are:

Costs: A significant investment in biometrics is required for security.

Breach of Biometric Databases: Biometric databases can still be hacked.

Tracking and Data: Biometric equipment, such as facial recognition systems, might compromise individuals' privacy.

Bias: To reduce biometric demographic bias, machine learning and algorithms must be quite advanced.

False Positives and Inaccuracies: False rejects and accepts can still happen, prohibiting certain users from using services.

Conclusion

Like any other technology, biometrics has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. No technology is foolproof. Hacking biometrics is possible. You cannot eliminate it being getting hacked. You can use various methods to enhance its security like multifactor authentication and with evolving time continuously work to make its operations better,