Biometric vs Password: What is the difference

Biometrics and passwords are part of an authentication system. There are differences between the two. You can learn more about them in this article.

What are they

Password

Password matching has always been a means of identity authentication before the emergence of biometrics. A password is a string of characters. Different devices have different options. The most common ones are uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. The number of characters in the combination is also different, ranging from four to 12.

Only when the passwords are successfully matched twice, the verification is completed. You generally need to use different combinations to make your passwords different and more secure;

Biometric

Biometric technology is a general term, including fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, palm vein recognition, iris recognition, etc.
Identity verification is completed by collecting and comparing biometric features (such as fingerprint information, facial, palm vein information, iris information). Biometrics are unique and stable.

How do they work?

Password

Password recognition uses XOR values ​​(in simple terms, it uses codes) to determine whether the input number is the same as the number stored in the database. If they are the same, it means the recognition is successful, and if they are different, it means the recognition fails.

Biometric recognition

This task is completed by analyzing and verifying the key biometric information feature points (fingerprints, face, palm prints) in the human body.

Biometrics vs. passwords: A comparative analysis

Privacy concerns

Biometrics has been questioned a lot on the privacy level, and some people think that their information is easy to be leaked. For you who value personal privacy, this is a problem;

Password recognition does not have this problem, you will not tell your password to others, so there is no privacy issue

Security

The security level of passwords is far lower than that of biometrics. The combination of passwords is easy to crack, which only takes a certain amount of time; but biometrics will not, all the information comes from your personal feature points, which is not easy to crack and will not be forgotten;

Cost

Password recognition basically does not require any cost, you just need to remember it forever, biometrics requires a certain cost, buy equipment that can support biometrics, and software also requires a certain amount of cost support;

Authentication Method

The essential difference between biometrics and password recognition is that the method is different. Password recognition compares digital strings, and biometrics uses your biological information to compare

Can passwords and biometrics work together in authentication systems?

Of course, banks and hospitals use a combination of the two methods to identify users. Password identification cannot prove that you are you, but biometric information is used to prove that you are you, which prevents identity theft. Secondly, you use a professional numeric keypad password to enter the password and complete the payment operation. The combination of the two identification methods improves the authentication system level.

Why are Biometrics More Secure Than Passwords?

Password recognition itself has limitations. The characters and combinations used are limited. If you find this loophole, you can copy and steal it. However, the information of biometrics can only depend on you, and now biometrics require liveness recognition. Even if you get your information, it is useless. It is not live information and still cannot pass recognition. Therefore, the security level of biometrics is higher than that of passwords.

Cons and Pros

Password

Familiarity & universality:

Passwords are widely used, and the market share is also high

User control:

Passwords can be controlled by you, and you can change them to any format you want;

Compatibility:

Passwords can be compatible with various devices, and can also be compatible with biometrics, and can be used together

Cons:

Network attack:

Password strings composed of digital strings are prone to hacker attacks and password leaks

Memory burden:

You need to record a large number of passwords,

Lack of uniqueness:

Passwords are not unique, and the matching rules are limited, so it is easy to have the same passwords, and they are not unique

Biometric

Strengths:

The characteristics of biometrics are unique and not easy to lose, and the security level is very high

Convenience:

Biometrics do not need to be kept in mind like recording passwords all the time. It is a part of your body, so it is very convenient

Summary

Both biometrics and passwords can improve your security of the identity system, and the combination of the two is a trend in the future.