Cyberattacks are constantly increasing in sophistication. Traditional methods of authentication, such as passwords, PINs and even multi-factor authentication, prove inadequate and vulnerable to more advanced schemes.
What Are Behavioral Biometrics?
By monitoring unique behaviors such as how someone types on a keyboard, swipes on a touchscreen or even holds a mouse, behavioral biometrics continuously authenticate users based on patterns that are nearly impossible for a hacker to replicate.
Additionally, users are becoming overwhelmed with complex credentials, creating a frustrating experience all around. These vulnerabilities leave organizations unprotected and vulnerable to security breaches.
Behavioral biometrics might well offer a solution for these sophisticated issues.
What Are Behavioral Biometrics?
Behavioral biometrics enables an understanding of how someone interacts with their devices and online systems. By monitoring unique behaviors such as how someone types on a keyboard, swipes on a touchscreen or even holds a mouse, behavioral biometrics continuously authenticate users based on patterns that are nearly impossible for a hacker to replicate.
This gives companies incorporating this technology an upper hand when confronted with data breaches or potential schemes.
While a password can be guessed, stolen or phished, a person’s unique mannerisms cannot. Like fingerprints, they are as individual as the person themselves. Functioning silently in the background, the technology continually verifies identity during each user session. We no longer have to rely on a single point of verification.
These advancements and technology are highly secure and enhance the user experience by making authentication seamless and frictionless.
Benefits of Behavioral Biometrics
Behavioral biometrics have some benefits that can help your company use them to improve security.
Behavioral Biometrics Are Dynamic
They continuously evolve and adapt to the user’s natural behavior. Even if a hacker were to acquire a password, they would still need to imitate the user’s unique behavioral traits, which are far more complex and individualized than any single credential.
Everything from discrepancies in typing speed, mouse movement patterns, or touchscreen gestures is analyzed and is incredibly difficult to bypass.
Behavioral Biometrics Respond to Threats in Real Time
By identifying deviations in user behavior, companies can act swiftly to prevent breaches, reducing the risk of costly cyberattacks. Because the system is constantly monitoring the behavior of a legitimate user, any deviations from the norm will trigger a security response.
Behavioral Biometrics: The Fine Print
Employers who plan to use behavioral biometrics must let their employees know how and to what extent their biometrics will be monitored, the reasons for the monitoring, and how the company will collect and store their biometric data. Companies must convey this information to employees in writing.
Particularly for companies that handle sensitive privacy information, using behavioral biometrics can lead to cost savings by reducing the reliance on passwords, reducing the need for password resets and minimizing the risk of costly data breaches that damage information and consumer trust.
Behavioral Biometrics Improve UX
Though security is the core goal, there’s another critical advantage of behavioral biometrics that can’t be ignored: improved user experience. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably been frustrated by the numerous authentication steps required to access your accounts. The constant need to remember and enter credentials slows down productivity for your employees.
Studies have shown users often reuse weak passwords across different accounts simply to make life easier and cut down on burnout, which leaves your company and information at risk.
Seamless, continuous authentication enhances security while boosting user satisfaction, resulting in a huge win that strikes the balance between protection and usability.
How to Use Behavioral Biometrics
Here are some ideas for how a company can use behavioral biometrics.
A caution before starting, though: Employers must let employees know how and to what extent their biometrics will be monitored, the reasons for the monitoring, and how the company will collect and store their biometric data. Companies must convey this information to employees in writing.
Access Control
Behavioral biometrics can be implemented as part of a company’s access control strategy. Whether for remote access to corporate networks, secure areas within a facility, or sensitive data, continuous behavioral verification ensures that access is restricted to authorized personnel only.
Compliance and Risk Management
For industries with strict regulatory requirements, this technology helps meet compliance for secure authentication and data protection. Implementing a proactive approach to risk management increases trust with clients and consumers while mitigating risk management concerns.
Insider Threat Protection
Behavioral biometrics detects insider threats by monitoring subtle shifts in user behavior. If an employee starts acting out of character, such as accessing unusual files or working during non-standard hours, the system will flag the behavior.
Looking to the future, the need for advanced security solutions will only grow rapidly. With the rise of threats such as rogue AI, traditional methods of authentication will no longer suffice. By embracing adaptive technologies, you’re able to keep your organization safe by staying one step ahead of the attackers.
