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Users Want Biometrics to Replace Passwords

October 12, 2016

The popularity of fingerprint scanners started with the smartphone. Certain select models of laptops had them, but fingerprint access didn't get much traction at the time. According to Engadet, biometrics will replace passwords for authentication. Put simply, biometrics are really just an electronic representation of something about you. Typically that would be fingerprints, facial recognition or retina scan. Users are lazy and want convenient ways to access their technology. According to research done in 2015, 90 percent of respondents found the Identity Check app more convenient. Seventy-one percent rated facial recognition as "highly convenient," while 93 percent rated fingerprint recognition the same.

The problem is that once the electronic representation of your biometric is compromised, you're toast. You will never be able to use the same fingerprint again. That means you have nine more digits to register. Heaven help you if your retina biometric is compromised. You only have two shots there. I believe the future of authentication is not biometric, but some form of token-based logon.

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Digital Forensics/Information Security/Information Technology
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