Introduction
Face recognition technology is gaining popularity as an additional security measure. For instance, the government recently urged service providers to use biometric verification to protect the public from fraud. Additionally, according to Statista’s projections, the country’s facial recognition market will grow from 2025 to 2030.
On the other side of this booming technology, however, is a growing concern about the safety of using face ID scanners for biometric-based access control in the Philippines. While fingerprints, iris patterns, and facial records are considered safer than traditional keys or easy-to-hack passwords as they are unique to an individual, the issue is the risk of the sensitive data being breached, leaked, or misused. The concerns aren’t far-fetched either — reports of threat actors hacking into biometric databases appear now and then.
That said, discouraging the use of face biometric devices for monitoring and access control isn’t the solution. Despite its risks, this technology has its benefits, from providing convenience to users to streamlining attendance report generation. Instead, users should not rely solely on biometric machines to secure themselves from threats but step up to boost overall security.
How exactly can your organization prepare for risks associated with face scanning? Read this article by Internet of Things Philippines Inc. to learn about the details.
7 Ways To Defend Your Face ID Scanner Biometrics From Threats
A quick face ID scan to grant access and record attendance is ideal for maximizing daily productivity in organizations. That said, business owners and department leaders should observe best practices to ensure that the data used by these scanners aren’t accessible to unauthorized entities.
From educating data subjects to updating software religiously, here are some ways to protect your face recognition technology from being compromised:
Educate Users About Security
Start your organization’s best practices by ensuring that your employees understand the importance of using biometric data securely. Acquire consent from your team for the face data enrollment, then clearly explain to them how you intend to use their information and how you plan to keep it safe. Also, remind them not to give out their biometric data to any entity, especially to threat actors posing as part of your organization.
Add Extra Layers of Security
While face scanners have security features, it’s better to set up other layers of protection to keep your organization’s data safe. One of the most helpful ones, especially in the event of physical breaches, is video surveillance. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras can aid organizations in monitoring activities on the premises and authorities in tracing perpetrators.
Another extra layer of protection is multi-factor authentication. In addition to face patterns, offices may require users to present other biometric information, use key fobs and cards, or enter unique codes before the device grants access.
Implement Anti-Spoofing Measures
Spoofing, or using masks, images, or deepfakes to fool biometric devices, is complex, but determined threat actors will not find it impossible to execute. To prepare against such risks, you should use face ID scanners with 3D capturing capabilities. This feature can help make the biometric data more challenging to duplicate.
Moreover, using 3D scans of face IDs as your machine’s reference data allows for more effective liveness and anomaly detection and reduces the chances of spoofing practices succeeding.
Upgrade to Advanced Access Control Model
With the Philippines transitioning to digitalization faster than ever, it’s natural for offices to rely on face ID scanners for their biometric access control system. Your organization can further fortify your defenses against unauthorized access by implementing advanced access control models. Depending on your needs, you may use one of the following modes:
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC) – This model is fully centralized, with select regulators the only ones allowed to manage access control systems.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) – This access control type provides varying access levels depending on the role of an individual in an organization.
- Discretionary Access Control (DAC) – This model provides wider access control to end users.
- Rule-Based Access Control (RB-RBAC) – This type of control is based on pre-set rules that, unless satisfied, block end users from data and physical access.
Ensure Strict Local Access to Storage
Data breaches usually occur when information access is loosely regulated, like in the case of some third-party biometric vendors. As such, it’s crucial for your organization to ensure that storage is limited to local access. This may mean opting for edge-based or hybrid systems instead of cloud storage, so the control is solely given to your IT team.
You can also request a contract from your supplier stating that external vendors and solution providers can’t access and use the biometric information you acquired from your company.
Have an Incident Response Plan Ready
Despite your best preparations, breaches and leakages can still occur. To address them, ensure you have an incident response plan in place. This plan should indicate how you’ll inform affected parties after a security event, compensate for damages, or recover lost data, among other things. Properly executing your risk management plan might also minimize the damage to your reputation and trustworthiness.
Keep Biometrics Software Up-to-Date
Face scanners depend on software to perform their image-capturing, processing, and storage tasks. Ensure that your biometric device has updated software with advanced features. Updating is essential for biometric systems because as technology advances, threat actors progress in parallel. Solid software updates and continuous maintenance will help your devices and, by extension, your data survive the growing threat landscape.
Conclusion
Face recognition technology is growing popular in the country as a reliable security measure to protect the public from fraud. However, concerns regarding the safety of biometric data from threat actors might make organizations second-guess their plans to use these devices to streamline their attendance and access control systems.
Fortunately, companies in the Philippines can still use face ID scanners for their biometric access control systems while maintaining peace of mind. The key is to prepare enough to minimize the associated risks. By educating users, adding layers of security, limiting access locally, updating the technology, and preparing a risk management plan, your organization can continue using these devices for efficiency while keeping your employees’ data safe.
To ensure you’re getting highly secure and industry-standard face scanners, partner with reliable biometric device suppliers like IOT Philippines. Contact our experts to learn more about the products we offer.
