What Is Biometric Access Control?
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Biometric access control uses the unique biological characteristics of the human body to verify the identity of people entering through a restricted entrance.
To gain entry to a building or facility, a person’s unique fingerprint, iris, palm vein, or face pattern has to match the corresponding biometric information previously collected and stored in the system database.
Biometrics are a more secure and reliable means of identity verification than access cards, fobs, or PINs. Fobs and access cards can be stolen or shared, while a PIN can be seen or shared.
Biometric access control combines security with convenience
It is not hard to see why biometrics have been embraced so enthusiastically in access control. Instead of presenting a physical accessory - like an access card, or something you know - like a password or PIN to show that you are authorized to enter, with biometric access control, you merely present yourself - through your palm, eye, fingerprint, or face.
Biometric access control, thus, makes it hard to steal someone’s credentials and use them to gain entry into a building. And because you don’t have to carry an access card or key fob, or remember a password, biometric access control is more convenient for users than anything else available.
How biometric access control works
Biometric access control works in much the same way as traditional access control. Where they differ is with user validation. Instead of using standard card readers to validate users, biometric-based systems use fingerprint, palm vein, face, and iris scanners and other biometric recognition technologies.
4 biometrics typically used in access control
Unless one uses particularly crude methods, some biometrics are almost impossible to steal or duplicate. This makes them an excellent choice for access control in high-security applications.
You can use biometrics on their own or as an extra layer of security on traditional card or PIN-based access control systems. That being said, biometrics don’t come with the same level of accuracy. Let’s discuss their pros and cons:
Fingerprint reading
Fingerprints are a time-tested biometric tool that has been used to authenticate and sign off documents since ancient times. More recently they have been used to place suspects on crime scenes, unlock mobile phones, and authenticate payments.
Since they are unique to each finger and individual, fingerprints are perfect for access control. Because they are so widely used and people are already familiar with them, you won’t need to invest much effort in educating users.
Fingerprint scanners are relatively cheap. But on the negative side, fingerprints can wear down or be altered by injury to the point they can’t match the copy held in the system.
Fingerprints are also easy to collect and replicate with 3D printers, which makes them less secure. For this reason, they are best used as a second layer of security with a PIN or access card.
Facial recognition
The growing popularity of facial recognition technology and its use in covert surveillance has raised privacy concerns. But access control is a fairly harmless use, provided the captured personal data is not abused.
Where the technology is used ethically, it is a quick and convenient way to identify visitors entering a restricted area. A person does not have to touch anything to get their face read.
In fact, it is the technology’s ability to read a person’s face from a distance and without them knowing that has raised privacy concerns. In terms of access control, facial recognition, however, is the least accurate of all biometrics.
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Iris scanning
The iris’ unique and highly detailed pattern makes it an accurate and secure biometric ID. Unlike a fingerprint, your iris will not wear down and will maintain its unique pattern for the eye’s lifespan.
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Palm vein reading
Palm veins are by far the most accurate and secure biometric when used for access control. It is the only one in current use that is internal to the body, which makes it impossible to duplicate.
Palm vein reading technology has built-in liveness detection capabilities, which means a palm has to have actual blood flowing in the veins. And because the palm is significantly larger than, say the eye or finger thumb, you can capture more data points, which improves accuracy.
Unlike facial recognition, palm vein scanning requires the user to consciously interact with the scanner. This is built-in privacy that reassures people that their palm vein IDs will not be surreptitiously used to surveil them.
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Should you upgrade to a biometric access control system?
The decision to upgrade to a biometric access control system depends on your security needs. Biometrics come with the benefit of convenience but, depending on which one you use, aren’t always more secure or accurate.
You should also be careful to not overcome one vulnerability by inviting another. While access cards can be easily stolen or duplicated, fingerprints can also be easily lifted and duplicated. Palm vein scanning, of course, overcomes most of these vulnerabilities, though it comes with a steeper price.
Where biometrics have been successfully utilized in access control, they have been deployed as a second layer of verification. This way unauthorized visitors will not only need the stolen access card but the fingerprint too.
