IBM Study: Consumers Weigh in on Biometrics, Authentication and the Future of Identity

The technology and security holders of 2017 presage great changes on the horizon in the world of identity and access.

The rumors about the death of the password may have been exaggerated in the past, but the major data breaches have eliminated any doubt that our email addresses, passwords and personal information, including Social Security numbers, are no longer enough to protect our identities online. At the same time, options for the use of more unique data, such as biometrics, for authentication are gaining popularity, with widespread fingerprint scans on personal devices and facial recognition moving into the mainstream with the latest smartphone models .

But while these new authentication methods are certainly gaining strength, the road to a completely passwordless world will be a long journey and, ultimately, users will lead the way.
Preparing for a New Age of Authentication

As we reached this crucial turning point in the authentication landscape, IBM commissioned a broad consumer study to better understand global and generational consumption preferences around biometrics, passwords, and multifactor authentication.

The new "Future of Identity Study" from IBM Security, launched today, surveyed nearly 4,000 adults worldwide. Below are some of the main findings.

•     Safety begins to overcome convenience. People classified security as the highest priority, over convenience and privacy, to log in to most applications, particularly when it comes to money-related applications.
•     Biometrics is becoming mainstream. Sixty-seven percent of respondents are comfortable using biometric authentication today, while 87 percent say they will be comfortable with these technologies in the near future.
•     Millennials are going beyond passwords. While 75 percent of the millennial generation (respondents between the ages of 20 and 36) are comfortable using biometrics today, less than half use complex passwords and 41 percent reuse passwords to access numerous accounts . Previous generations showed more care with the creation of passwords, but were less inclined to adopt multifactorial biometrics and authentication.

Taking a closer look at these trends, the future of identity may be closer than we think.

Millennials accelerate the end of the era of passwords

The generational differences that emerged from the survey results showed that younger adults are paying less attention to the traditional security of passwords, but are more likely to shorten access with multi-factor authentication, use biometric data for speed and convenience, and use password managers to protect your accounts. This could be an indication that younger generations have less confidence in passwords to start, looking for alternative methods to protect their accounts.

With the millennial generation quickly becoming the largest generation in the workforce today, according to a study by ManpowerGroup, these trends can affect the way that employers, service providers and technology companies provide access to devices and applications in The near future. Below are some additional findings on generational authentication trends.

•     Only 42 percent of millennials use complex passwords that combine special characters, numbers and letters (versus 49 percent of respondents who are 55 or older) and 41 percent reuse the same password several times (vs. 31). percent of those over 55).
•     On average, people over 55 use 12 passwords, while Generation Z (18 to 20 years old) averages only five passwords. This could indicate a higher rate of reuse in a growing number of accounts.
•     Millennials are twice as likely to use a password manager (34 percent) as people over 55 (17 percent).
•     Millennials are more likely to enable two-factor authentication as a result of a violation (32 percent vs. 28 percent of the general population). They are also more likely to eliminate an account in the hands of broken service providers and move to a competition.
•     Seventy-five percent of millennials were comfortable using biometrics today, compared with 58 percent of those over 55.

Trump Security Convenience, especially for money related applications

While conventional wisdom may hold that consumers value speed over everything else, the survey found that consumers classified security as a higher preference than privacy or convenience for most applications, particularly for money-related applications. .

The only exception to this was social networking applications, where convenience had a slight advantage over security, revealing a possible blind spot when it comes to protecting the personal data stored in those applications.

Prepare for the future of identity

How can organizations adapt to changing user preferences? Companies should adapt by leveraging flexible identity platforms that provide users with options across multiple authentication options, for example, by allowing users to switch between a mobile push notification that invokes fingerprint readers on their phones and an access code only.

Organizations can also balance demands for security and comfort by incorporating risk-based approaches into their access schemes. When risk levels increase, additional authentication checkpoints may be activated, such as when behavioral signals or connection attributions, such as the device, location, or IP address, indicate potentially abnormal activity.

Taking advantage of survey data can also help to reshape security processes for an evolving workforce. As millennial and Generation Z employees begin to dominate the workforce, organizations and businesses can adapt to the trend of younger generations to new technologies by allowing greater use of mobile devices as a primary authentication factor and integrating Approaches that favor biometric methods or cards instead of passwords As always, users must follow best practices to protect their digital identities.

For additional details about the study and tips to help companies prepare for the future of authentication, download the full report.