Biometric authentication enhances security by using unique biological characteristics to verify a person's identity. Here's how it improves security:
1. **Unique Identifiers:** Biometrics like fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans are unique to each individual, making it difficult for someone else to replicate or steal them.
2. **Difficult to Forge:** Unlike passwords or PINs, which can be guessed, stolen, or shared, biometric data is nearly impossible to forge or duplicate without specialized equipment.
3. **Non-transferable:** Biometric traits are inherently tied to an individual, preventing the risk of someone using another person’s credentials, which can happen with passwords or physical tokens.
4. **Continuous Authentication:** Some biometric systems allow for ongoing verification, ensuring that the authenticated user remains present during a session, which adds an extra layer of security.
5. **Convenience with Security:** Biometrics offer a seamless experience without sacrificing security, reducing reliance on weak passwords or human errors.
6. **Reduced Risk of Theft:** Unlike physical security tokens or cards, biometric traits cannot be lost or stolen in the traditional sense, further decreasing the risk of unauthorized access.
Overall, biometric authentication significantly raises the security bar by leveraging unique, hard-to-replicate traits.