Biometric Authentication

Biometric authentication uses measurable biological characteristics to confirm that a user is who they claim to be. A capture device (sensor or camera) extracts features from the trait and compares them against a stored template, either on-device (in a secure enclave) or against a server-side database. Common modalities include fingerprint, face, iris, palm vein, and voice recognition. Biometrics offer strong usability and resist password reuse, but they raise privacy concerns because traits cannot be revoked if leaked, and presentation attacks (spoofed fingerprints, deepfakes) require liveness detection. They are typically combined with another factor in MFA flows for high-assurance scenarios.