What Is Biometric Access Control?

Date First Published: 9th November 2023

Topic: Cybersecurity

Subtopic: Security Mechanisms & Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Biometric Access Control

Learn about what biometric access control is in this article.

Biometric access control uses biological features to authenticate users and control physical access to a room or electronic device. Examples of biometric technology include fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, and palm recognition.

The key features or patterns of the biological feature are stored in the computer system and after attempting to gain entry to a room or device, the scan is compared with the features stored on the system. If they match, the person is allowed to enter the building or use the device. If they don't match, they are denied access.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Biometric Access Control

The advantages of biometric access control are:

Increased security. Unlike passwords, biometric methods of authentication are difficult to guess or crack. It requires direct interactions to log in or pass the security system.
It saves time. Biometric authentication is faster than typing a password or PIN. In most cases, users only need to put their finger on a device or look at a device to gain access.
Unlike passwords and PINs, there is no risk of them being forgotten. This saves people memorising alphabets, numbers and symbols required for creating a complex password.
It can allow organisations to keep track of thousands of employees with one biometric device and software, which is useful for gathering data.

The disadvantages of biometric access control are:

Errors can prevent the biometric system from recognising people. For example, they can be affected by glasses, light levels, and clothing, which can prevent the biometric system from correctly scanning. Sometimes, the error rates can be so high that it creates problems for the whole security system.
It can be unusable by some people, such as people with disabilities.
It can be unhygienic. Some biometric access control systems require users to touch them with their fingers and palms. This will lead to everyone spreading their germs with each other using the device and people won't know who has touched the system and what they are taking in after touching it.
They are more expensive than traditional security systems due to the complex technology.