Facial Recognition Login: Is This The New Security Standard?

Facial recognition could help your business enhance security standards 10X. We explore the business challenges the technology can solve.

Thirty thousand. That’s the number of infrared dots used by the latest standard today to create a map of your face for authentication and enable you to securely access your device. The process is as simple as it can get - look right into the camera and the facial login system does the rest. 

Today, facial recognition login isn’t restricted to unlocking phones, tagging people on social media or scanning crowds for security threats. It’s made its way into gaming, grocery stores, airports and payment platforms. Facial recognition login software and biometric technology are making inroads into building robust security platforms - with a system that’s designed to prevent spoofing by masks or photos. It’s permeated into security and law enforcement, even making paperless travel a reality.

It’s important to note that facial recognition login exists for a reason - its ability to negate the need for identification from something you know (like a passcode or a PIN) or something you own (like a security token) and extend it with your biometric data (who you are). When coupled with two-factor authentication, facial recognition login can significantly improve and enhance digital security.

In recent years, it’s hard to miss the spate of data breaches and security vulnerabilities when it comes to user identities and personal data. Unfortunately, while identity misuse is not something new, it’s increasingly apparent that billions across the world are falling prey to security breaches - with user data being compromised every minute, everyday. The frequency is worrying, with reports estimating that every minute, nearly 4,251 records are lost or stolen. For businesses, the implications can be costly.

In its 2019 Cost Of a Data Breach Report, IBM Security highlighted that a single data breach can cost enterprises almost $3.86 million on average, with a majority - about 58 percent - of data breach victims being small businesses.

With the digital revolution came tech savvy bad actors who have evolved from using old school, traditional methods of identity theft to advanced identity breaches to create fraudulent accounts and identities with the stolen data. It’s not just fraud - as we get involved in social media, a space that’s constantly growing, every data point we share can help an external source puzzle them together to build data profiles on consumers, complete with purchase habits, personal details and more.

Access to personal information has peaked to an all time high, and multiple businesses are looking to tap into the data obtained for monetization. There’s a significant value attached to users’ data points - highlighting the critical need for a strong, robust digital security platform. This starts with authentication.

Traditional forms of authentication, such as SMS-based verification, carries flaws that make it easy for threat actors to access account details. Using biometric technology, like facial recognition login software and liveness detection, along with verified government-issued identity documents can enhance security. An additional layer of two-factor authentication will act as a prevention protocol for mitigating cyber-attacks and unauthorized access.

By requesting for a valid government-issued ID and matching it against a live video of the user, enterprises enjoy a greater level of assurance that the person is who they say they are. Facial login can help fight synthetic fraud and brute force attacks on accounts, which are pitched to be some of the biggest threats facing organizations today.

In a data-sensitive environment that is now regulated by watchdogs, compliance authorities and policies like CCPA(California Consumer Privacy Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), it’s vital that organizations allow users to access their accounts without exposing sensitive details.

Unlike facial recognition systems used for surveillance, facial login is performed only after seeking the user’s consent and the authentication is done under a highly secure network before permitting the user access to their account.

One of the bigger benefits with facial login is that users are not subject to cumbersome and long processes for identity verification - it’s done in a few milliseconds. Businesses will be able to sift out fraudulent accounts and ensure that only legitimate users are creating and accessing their accounts.

Data privacy and secure storage are clearly important if we are to work for a future dominated by biometrics like facial login for authentication processes. Facial recognition login, as long as the technology remains agile and highly secure, is accurate and provides a quick turnaround time, will be key to driving trust and security between enterprises and users.