From Apple’s Face ID and fingerprint authentication to the more sophisticated retina scan, biometrics are increasingly becoming used to improve security on everything, from personal devices to enterprise systems. But in recent years, their seemingly robust protection capabilities are becoming less and less reliable with the rise of biometrics hacking. In this article, we go over this emerging hacking trend, how it works, and ways to protect against it.

Understanding biometrics hacking

Biometrics hacking is an attack that gains unauthorised access to a user’s biometric data by obtaining them from a database or other storage location or intercepting them during transmission. Attackers can then leverage this data to impersonate their victims and get into their accounts, stealing confidential information or conducting other malicious activities. Since biometric data is unique to each user and is not as simple to change as regular passwords, they are a highly valuable target for threat actors.

Can biometrics be hacked?

Determined hackers will always find ways to get around the security measures employed by their targets. And since no type of security is completely foolproof, biometrics is not impervious to hacking despite being far more secure than other forms of identification like PIN passcodes or passwords. Despite being vulnerable to hacking, biometrics still have higher security since it is near impossible to fake a fingerprint or iris than to guess a PIN or password. Additionally, biometric authentication is rarely implemented alone and is most commonly used alongside conventional PIN and password challenges to achieve a comprehensive security defence.

How is biometric hacking performed?

There are several different ways to hack biometrics, with the most common one being using a device called a skimmer. It is placed on a fingerprint scanning machine and collects information from the victim’s genuine finger scan to create a fake one that can be used to gain unauthorised access to their account or systems.

Spoofing is another technique that involves using fake fingerprints or other biometric data that looks similar enough to the real deal, fooling the scanner. Some ways to achieve this are by photographing the victim’s fingerprints or iris or making a mould that mimics them.

Lastly, a replay attack is when a hacker records their victim’s biometric data and plays it back to gain unauthorised access to the system. One of the most notorious cases of biometric hacking was when a hacker group used the skimmer device to collect 1 million fingerprints which they then used to access sensitive information like government records and personal bank accounts. As technology becomes more widespread, biometrics hacking will also become more common, hence the need to know how your biometric data can be hacked and learn how to protect against it.

Biometrics and MFA

As robust as biometrics are as a security measure, their effectiveness potential is best realised when paired with multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is a security system that requires several authentication methods from independent categories of credentials for identity verification. It adds extra layers of security by requiring two, three, or more forms of identification. Below are some of the ways MFA makes biometrics more secure:

● Using biometrics in conjunction with MFA makes it exponentially more difficult for hackers to gain access to your accent as they need to intercept your biometrics data and your time-limited MFA passcodes that change every time.

● Biometrics combined with MFA allows for easier tracking and auditing of user activity, which can be used in identifying potential security breaches and unauthorised access.

● MFA can be integrated with other security measures like intrusion detection systems and firewalls to ensure better network protection against attacks.

How businesses can protect against biometrics hacking

As businesses continue to adopt biometric security, it is pivotal to know how to combat the rising threat of biometrics hacking. Here are a few tips for doing so:

● Use strong and varied authentication methods

The more hurdles hackers must overcome, the less likely they will succeed in their attacks. MFA is one of the best ways to achieve this, but implement such lengthy procedures only for the most sensitive systems and accounts. The everyday employee with no high-level access permissions should not have to deal with a tedious login process just to get into their work accounts – practising good password hygiene is sufficient. Moreover, ensure that only select and authorised personnel can access the company’s biometric information, encrypt sensitive data, and regularly test the company’s systems for vulnerabilities.

● Stay up-to-date

Staying current on the cyber threat landscape is one of the best ways to protect against biometrics hacking and identity theft. By keeping abreast of their latest developments, organisations can be better prepared to defend and handle such threats. Additionally, being updated can help spot potential breaches in one’s security before they occur.

Conclusion

With the world now revolving in the digital landscape, personal data is increasingly becoming more vulnerable to hacking and theft, especially biometric data, which is now highly sought after by hackers. As a reminder, biometrics is not foolproof, and it is important to stay updated on the novel ways hackers are bypassing biometric authentication.

For the most comprehensive security posture for your business, get in touch with us at GROUP8 today. With the help of our industry-leading cybersecurity solutions, you can rest assured that you’ll always be one step ahead of global threat actors. Whether web security, incident response, or vulnerability assessment and penetration testing services, don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@group8.co for more details.