We use voice controls to adjust the temperatures of our homes, order movies on-demand, schedule appointments using virtual assistants, and even accommodate in driving. With each advancement in voice-to-machine communication, the interaction becomes more human, expanding the types of opportunities for voice as an interface. However, with these leaps in consumer voice interfaces like Amazon Echo, criminals have kept up.
As we transition away from the technology we know best – from clicking a mouse to using a stylus on a touch screen, we’re moving towards voice. This rise of voice based technology is not only removing the physical elements of the technology, but is also taking away the one-to-one aspect. For example, when the command is given to a shared Amazon Echo “Alexa, read me my emails;” how does Alexa determine the who’s emails to read?
When a smartphone is prompted with the same command, the individual has already been identified through a pin or other form of biometric, like a fingerprint, and therefore does not face the same barrier as devices such as Amazon Echo or Google Home. The transition to voice adds new complications to authentication that have not existed before due to the removal of the physical interface – voice is in the air.
Even though voice is utilized today mostly by simple requests and demands, it is moving in a conversational direction. Not only has voice been expanding through consumer interfaces, but has been utilized by enterprises in terms of taking payments, and more widely used in authentication processes.
Voice biometrics can be used in authenticating an individual, most commonly over the telephone. Instead of relying on traditional authentication methods such as the employment of knowledge-based-authentication questions (KBAs), voice biometrics provides an extra layer of security. However, voice biometric technology is not inherently multi-factored and is limited by the aging qualities of voice.
There is a greater need for authenticating and securing voice as an interface because of its ubiquitous nature.
Contact Pindrop to start securing the future of voice now.
