Biometric technology is the future of IoT security, NEC says

IoT technology has been widely adopted in work environments and critical industry infrastructures, with common integrations including traffic management, water, gas, electricity, and fitness wearables. The weak security in connected devices and the high number of vulnerable access points, however, makes them a genuine threat for corporate networks. NEC New Zealand argues in a blog post that biometric security solutions could boost network security by reducing backdoor attacks and securing devices at the edge and when connected.

Many IoT devices are vulnerable because default passwords are rarely changed. An additional layer of security, biometric technology analyzes a user’s unique fingerprints, voice, iris or facial features to confirm identity. Biometric features cannot be lost or forgotten, and it is more difficult for attackers to exploit them.

Due to the high interest in voice recognition-enabled devices such as Google Home and Alexa, voice recognition is common in today’s households, as is fingerprint recognition found in a range of devices from smartphones to door knobs and car locks.

NEC expects to soon see an increase in facial recognition deployment in IoT devices, as well as in behavioral tracking as a biometric measure to improve workplace security. By rolling out the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to upgrade the healthcare system and track health and biometric information, doctors no longer have to see patients in person to get updated on their health.

As this could be of great use during the COVID-19 crisis, NEC recently launched, in partnership with software developers from New Zealand, NEC iQuarantine – a mobile app that uses biometric facial recognition to monitor coronavirus. With biometric technology becoming more ubiquitous in IoT devices, NEC expects more companies to adopt the technology to upgrade security and fend off attacks caused by unsecured connected devices.

Article Topics

access management  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  biometrics at the edge  |  IoT  |  NEC New Zealand  |  security