Mitek pushes passwordless ID authentication with biometrics

ID verification software maker Mitek has released a passwordless authentication platform with multimodal biometrics.

MiPass enables users to access digital accounts by taking a selfie and speaking a phrase with their phone, according to Mitek.

The software can be embedded in applications via a dedicated software development kit. Mitek says use cases include simple account information updates, password resets, device rebinding and high-risk financial transactions.

Chris Briggs, Mitek’s head of products, says, “People are most loyal to companies that offer both convenience and security. That’s where MiPass excels.”

Steve Ritter, Mitek’s chief technology officer, says the multimodal biometric approach improves security compared to facial recognition-only systems.

“MiPass combines voice and face recognition using sophisticated liveness detection technology to defend against digital and deepfake attacks in real-time,” says Ritter.

He also says that MiPass algorithms have been developed and tested against balanced and representative data sets to minimize bias.

Voice liveness detection is like face liveness. It is designed to identify audio that has been artificially generated or reproduced, according to the company.

The most common example, according to Mitek, would be digitized recordings of a person’s voice as replayed through a mobile device. The company is not releasing accuracy rates.

The company likes MiPass to a steel-reinforced bank vault that can only be cracked with strong expertise, time and money.

Voice and face quality checks occur on a user’s device in real time. By yearend, Mitek will roll out improved face capture quality checks, Mitek says.

MiPass is designed to cut risks associated with on-device stored biometrics, which can be compromised, shared between people or overwritten with a passcode.

The release of MiPass is the latest step for the company toward development of digital identity software with multiple factors to defeat fraud.

Biometric Update spoke with Briggs last month about this approach to securing digital identities, particularly in a scenario where digitization continues to change the fraud opportunities available to cybercriminals.

More recently, Mitek published a survey in collaboration with YouGov showing that banking customers’ trust in biometrics and artificial intelligence remains low in the United Kingdom.

Updated October 25, 2022 at 2:25 pm EST to include comment from Mitek.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  fraud prevention  |  identity verification  |  Mitek  |  multimodal biometrics  |  voice biometrics