The way you use your mobile device or your computer can tell a lot about you. An increasing number of organizations are now relying on behavioral biometrics to ensure that they’re actually interacting with humans and not robots.
Behavioral biometrics is a complex field that focuses on a variety of different touchpoints, and is transforming human interactions as we know them.
Understanding Behavioral Biometrics
Behavioral biometrics represent a sophisticated and dynamic approach to security and identity verification, distinguishing individuals based on their unique behavioral patterns.
Unlike traditional biometrics, which rely on static physical attributes like fingerprints or iris patterns, behavioral biometrics focuses on the way individuals interact with devices and their environment, capturing the nuances of these interactions over time.
For instance, it looks at behavioral patterns, such as keystroke dynamics. This method analyzes the way a person types on a keyboard, focusing on unique typing patterns such as the speed of typing, the rhythm of key presses, and the time interval between specific keystrokes.
These characteristics are as unique as a fingerprint and can be used to continuously authenticate a user, especially in contexts where typing is a regular activity, such as in an office environment.
Similarly, mouse dynamics is another area under the umbrella of behavioral biometrics. It involves studying how a user interacts with a computer mouse or trackpad.
Characteristics like the speed of mouse movements, click rates, and navigation patterns are analyzed to authenticate a user’s identity, particularly effective in online security applications.
In the voice authentication space, behavioral biometrics has gained significant popularity. This method goes beyond traditional voice recognition that focuses on vocal prints.
It involves analyzing speech patterns, including accent, intonation, rhythm, and speaking style.
These vocal attributes are not only unique to each individual but are also challenging to replicate, making them a robust tool for authentication and fraud prevention, especially in areas like customer service and contact centers.
The Benefits of Using Behavioral Biometrics
The rise of behavioral biometrics is driven by its ability to offer continuous, unobtrusive authentication. This is particularly valuable in contexts where traditional authentication methods can be obtrusive or where continuous verification is necessary.
Here are just some of the major benefits of using behavioral biometrics.
Enhanced Security
One of the primary benefits of behavioral biometrics is the high level of security it provides. Since it analyzes behaviors that are unique and inherent to an individual, such as the way they type or speak, it’s extremely difficult for fraudsters to replicate or mimic these traits accurately.
This makes behavioral biometrics a robust tool against identity theft and fraud, particularly in sectors like banking and finance where security is paramount.
Active and Passive Authentication
Unlike traditional authentication methods that are one-time and active (like entering a password or scanning a fingerprint), behavioral biometrics can offer continuous monitoring.
This means that a user’s identity is constantly being verified in a non-intrusive manner as they interact with a system, enhancing ongoing security without disrupting the user experience.
Reduced Fraud and Operational Costs
By preventing unauthorized access more effectively, behavioral biometrics reduces the incidence of fraud, which can save significant costs for businesses.
Additionally, the automated nature of this technology can reduce the need for manual security checks, further cutting down operational expenses.
Low False Rejection Rates
Behavioral biometrics technologies have evolved to achieve high accuracy in identifying and verifying users. This precision reduces the likelihood of false rejections – where legitimate users are incorrectly denied access – ensuring smoother operations and better user satisfaction.
Very Difficult to Spoof
Since behavioral biometrics is based on patterns of behavior that are complex and subtle, it is significantly harder for attackers to spoof compared to traditional methods. For example, replicating the exact way someone types or speaks is a daunting challenge, which adds an extra layer of security.
Learning Capabilities
Many behavioral biometrics systems are powered by AI and machine learning algorithms, allowing them to adapt and improve over time. They can learn from each interaction, continually refining the accuracy with which they identify and authenticate users.
Behavioral Biometrics – Popular Use Cases
Behavioral biometrics finds its applications in a variety of fields, each leveraging its unique capabilities to enhance security, improve user experience, and prevent fraud.
The technology’s versatility allows it to be adapted to different use cases, from financial services to government applications.
Financial Services
Behavioral biometrics is extensively used in online banking to authenticate users. By analyzing keystroke dynamics or mouse movements, banks can continuously verify a user’s identity as they navigate through online banking sessions, making transactions more secure.
Similarly, in credit card transactions, behavioral biometrics can detect unusual patterns, like deviations in the way a card number is entered, signaling potential fraud.
More importantly, for mobile banking apps, behavioral biometrics such as how the phone is held, swiping patterns, and typing rhythms can be used to authenticate users, adding an extra layer of security without additional steps for the user.
Healthcare
Behavioral biometrics are commonly used in the healthcare industry. In healthcare systems, behavioral biometrics can secure access to patient records, ensuring that only authorized personnel access sensitive information, based on their unique interaction patterns with devices.
Similarly, for telemedicine platforms, behavioral biometrics can authenticate both doctors and patients, ensuring security and privacy in remote consultations.
Government and Public Sector
Government agencies can use behavioral biometrics for access control, using gait analysis or keystroke dynamics to grant or deny access to secure areas. By continuously monitoring how employees interact with secure systems, behavioral biometrics can help in detecting anomalous behavior that might indicate insider threats.
Customer Service
Call centers can use voice biometrics to authenticate customers, analyzing their speech patterns and rhythm, which speeds up the verification process and enhances customer experience.
Using Pindrop to Improve Call Center Performance
Pindrop uses a subset of behavioral biometrics, known as voice biometrics, to detect variations in speech patterns in order to improve the authentication process in modern call centers.
With Pindrop’s voice biometrics technology, contact centers can passively authenticate callers, while adapting to the user’s behavior, making it an excellent solution for modern-day security challenges. Request a demo today!
