all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited es una solución de privacidad todo en uno"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Sin anuncios. Privacidad por defecto."],"People before profits":["Primero las personas, luego los beneficios"],"Security through transparency":["Seguridad con transparencia"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Las mejores ofertas de Proton Mail en el ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["El único servicio de correo electrónico del mundo financiado por la comunidad"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } hora","${ hours } horas"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Tiempo restante: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } y ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuto","${ minutes } minutos"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } segundo","${ seconds } segundos"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta por tiempo limitado"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Cree múltiples direcciones"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Seudónimos de hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Cancele suscripciones a boletines rápidamente"],"Use your own domain name":["Use su propio dominio"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Tal como aparece en"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Obtenga un correo electrónico cifrado que protege su privacidad"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Oferta de Black Friday de Proton Mail: hasta un 40% de descuento"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Aproveche las rebajas de Black Friday y obtenga suscripciones de Proton Mail con hasta un 40 % de descuento. Encontrará las mejores ofertas en planes de correo electrónico seguro cifrado de extremo a extremo."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Rebajas de Black Friday en Proton Mail | Hasta un 40 % de descuento en correo electrónico seguro"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["*Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los primeros 2 años"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["Garantía de devolución de dinero de 30 días"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los primeros 2 años"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Ahorre ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["-${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Amo mi Proton Mail"],"My favorite email service":["Mi servicio de correo electrónico favorito"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Gracias Proton por mantenernos a salvo en el complicado universo de Internet."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Obtiene aquello por lo que paga. En el caso de la gran tecnología, cuando uno no paga nada, se acostumbra. Dejé de usar Gmail y cambié a @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Días"],"Hours":["Horas"],"Min":["min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Y mucho más"],"Safe from trackers":["A salvo de rastreadores"],"Stay organized":["Mantenga todo en orden"],"Black Friday email deals":["Ofertas en correo electrónico del Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["No confíe solo en nuestra palabra"],"Make your inbox yours":["Tome posesión de su bandeja de entrada"],"Our story":["Nuestra historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Transfiera sus datos de Google con un solo clic"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Acceda a contenidos bloqueados y navegue de forma privada. Incluye más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES } países, se conecta con hasta 10 dispositivos, accede a servicios de transmisión de todo el mundo, bloquea malware y publicidad y mucho más."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Comparta su calendario con familiares, amigos y compañeros fácilmente y consulte calendarios externos."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 1 dominio de correo electrónico personalizado, 10 direcciones de correo electrónico, 10 seudónimos de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 3 dominios de correo electrónico personalizado, 15 direcciones de correo electrónico, seudónimos ilimitados de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Administre hasta 25 calendarios, apps móviles, protegido con cifrado de extremo a extremo, importación de calendario con 1 clic desde Google y más."]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Más información"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Tenga en cuenta que, en este momento, estamos experimentando problemas con el servicio ${ issues[0] }."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["En este momento, tenemos problemas con uno o más servicios."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["En este momento, tenemos problemas con el servicio Proton VPN."],"Learn more":["Más información"]},"steps":{"Step":["Paso"]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugerencias"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subacategoria","Subcategorías"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } minuto","${ readingTime } minutos"],"Category":["Categoría","Categorías"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["¿No encontró lo que buscaba?"],"General contact":["Contacto general"],"Get help":["Obtener ayuda"],"Legal contact":["Contacto legal"],"Media contact":["Contacto para medios"],"Partnerships contact":["Contacto para colaboradores"],"Reading":["Lectura"]},"Support Form Platform option":{"VPN for Android TV":["VPN para Android TV"],"VPN for Apple TV":["VPN para Apple TV"],"VPN for Chromebook":["VPN para Chromebook"]},"Support troubleshooting":{"App version":["Versión de la app"],"Browser":["Navegador"],"Check if this helps":["Compruebe si le sirve"],"Choose a product":["Elija un producto"],"Did this solve your issue?":["¿Le ha resultado útil para resolver el problema?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away":["Solo le separan unos clics de una asistencia más rápida"],"How can we help?":["¿Cómo podemos ayudarle?"],"No, contact support":["No, contactar a soporte"],"Please fill out one field after another":["Complete un campo después de otro"],"Please make your selections":["Realice sus selecciones"],"Proton account":["Cuenta de Proton"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Gracias por sus comentarios"],"What can we help with?":["¿En qué podemos ayudarle?"],"Yes":["Sí"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Consulta"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Buscar"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Busco"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Para una resolución más rápida, reporte el problema desde la app Bridge: Ayuda > Reportar un problema."],"Information":["Información"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Seguridad de la cuenta"],"Contacts":["Contactos"],"Custom email domain":["Dominio de correo electrónico personalizado"],"Email delivery and Spam":["Entrega de correo electrónico y spam"],"Encryption":["Cifrado"],"Login and password":["Inicio de sesión y contraseña"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Combinar alias y cuentas"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migrar a Proton"],"Notifications":["Notificaciones"],"Other":["Otros"],"Plans and billing":["Planes y facturación"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Regístrese"],"Storage":["Almacenamiento"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Usuarios, direcciones e identidades"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Seleccione un tema"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Premios"],"Customers":["Clientes"],"Featured":["Destacados"],"Go to testimonial source":["Ir a la fuente testimonial"],"Open source of award":["Abrir fuente del premio"],"Open 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you!":["¡Gracias!"],"this page":["esta página"]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. 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The pros and cons of biometric authentication | Proton
Biometric authentication is a growing part of the tech landscape — it’s in our schools, offices, airports, government buildings, and more recently, in our smartphones. Apple’s introduction of Touch ID in 2013 has paved the way for fingerprint-, face-, and iris-recognition technology to leave the almost exclusive domain of law enforcement and emerge into the mainstream as a way to authenticate your identity and access accounts and physical spaces.
But while biometric data and its applications have taken the fast lane to success, their use also raises new issues around security and privacy that must be considered and managed. There are major risks that are unique to biometric authentication that aren’t present with other forms of authentication, such as passwords. Namely, you can always change your password if it leaks — but what if your password is your face? In this article, we’ll talk about how to understand such risks and mitigate them.
Biometry refers to the measurement and analysis of an individual’s physical traits, such as fingerprints, iris patterns, or even the way a person walks (as in “gait recognition”). This information is digitized by converting the physical characteristics (the ridges on a fingerprint, for example) into biometric templates comprised of data points based on specific formulas.
When a device or service uses biometry for authentication, the primary purpose is to verify that a person is who they claim to be by comparing their biometric data with previously collected and stored data.
There are several ways in which biometric data may be stored and processed, such as through database servers, encrypted tokens, or physical tokens. Typically smartphones use on-device storage of biometric templates, which ensures authentication occurs without any data being sent to a server. Thus, the biometric data remains secure as long as the device itself is not compromised.
Benefits of using biometric authentication
There are good reasons biometric authentication has expanded so rapidly. Here are the main ones:
Simplicity and convenience for the user
The overwhelming simplicity, at least from a consumer perspective, is a significant factor in the growing popularity of biometric authentication. After all, it’s much easier to place your finger on a scanner than to type in a 20-character password.
Higher authenticity
Biometry may provide greater levels of authenticity for users prone to weak passwords and PINs, which may be common to multiple users or easily shared. Fingerprints and iris patterns, however, are difficult to share or replicate (but not impossible). Unique identifiers are a necessary element for many applications, such as payments or access to secure spaces, making biometry the preferred choice.
Affordability
Technological advances have brought down the cost of components so that biometric authentication is now possible in a wide range of implementations. Consider Delta Air Lines, which offers an optional biometric check-in process to their fliers from curb to gate, saving passengers nine minutes per flight(nueva ventana).
Shoulder surfing
Hackers can try to break into your device or accounts by watching you as you enter your PIN code or unlock pattern. This is known as a shoulder surfing attack. Biometric authentication can help you be more resistant to this type of attack.
It is well established that organizations that collect and store users’ personal data are under constant threat from hackers. Even as Delta collects biometric information about its passengers, the airline sector has been plagued(nueva ventana) by data breaches(nueva ventana).
Because biometric data is irreplaceable, corporations need to treat it with the utmost caution. If one’s password or PIN were to be compromised, there is always the possibility of resetting it. But the same cannot be said for one’s face, fingerprints, or irises.
Tracking and permanent digital records
Biometric authentication is still in its early stages, yet it already poses serious questions about privacy. When biometrics are stored server-side, particularly in jurisdictions subject to surveillance(nueva ventana) and secret warrants(nueva ventana), you risk leaving a permanent digital record or potential tracking by government authorities.
For instance, it is well known that during the recent Hong Kong protests, the government used facial recognition to track protesters(nueva ventana). As CCTV proliferates, your biometric data can become a permanent digital tag that authorities can use to identify and track you for the rest of your life.
False positives
Biometric authentication methods often rely on partial information — i.e., a finite number of data points — to authenticate your identity. For example, in 2018, a team from New York University trained an AI neural network to fraudulently crack fingerprint authentication(nueva ventana) at a success rate of 20%. They relied on the fact that most fingerprint scanners only scan a portion of the finger. Common elements can be used to fool them into mistaken authentication in a manner similar to a dictionary attack(nueva ventana).
Not all facial recognition models are created equal, and even the best of them aren’t perfect. For example, the OnePlus 6 face unlock feature relies on the front camera and isn’t as secure(nueva ventana) as the Oppo Find X or Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which use 3D Infrared depth mapping(nueva ventana).
Because biometric authentication is inherently risky, Proton does not use it for account login. To access your Proton account, you must provide your password.
We also recommend turning on two-factor authentication (2FA), which requires you to enter an additional piece of information — a time-based, one-time password generated by an app on a device you own — before accessing your account. With 2FA enabled, even if your password is compromised, a hacker cannot log in to your account without also gaining access to your device.
Once you log in to your account, you may choose to add an extra layer of protection to your Proton Mail app in your app settings. In both iOS and Android, you can choose to lock the app and require a PIN code or biometric authentication after the app has been unused for a given amount of time. This provides both extra security along with convenience in a relatively low-risk scenario (i.e., you already have an active session on your device). Authentication takes place locally, so no biometric data is ever sent to our servers.
In Proton Mail for iOS, enabling Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN protection also turns on the AppKey Protection System(nueva ventana), which is an extra layer of encryption for your Proton Mail data, defending against certain kinds of malware and forensic attacks.
Of course, the security decisions you make depend on your threat model. Using biometric authentication is not as safe as using a passcode or logging off every time. But these solutions are worse from a usability perspective. Users with heightened threat models should also consider the implications of enabling biometric authentication when crossing borders or engaging with law enforcement.
If any device or service asks for your biometric information, check to ensure your data is stored locally on the device and not on a cloud-based server or transmitted over the network.
As a standard practice, avoid clicking on suspicious links or installing unverified third-party apps on your device.
Our mission is to build a safer Internet, and being informed about how your data is protected can empower you to make better decisions about the services you use. If you have any questions or comments about biometric authentication, feel free to join the discussion on our social media channels.
Proton Mail and Proton VPN are funded by community contributions. If you would like to support our development efforts, you can upgrade to a paid plan(nueva ventana). Thank you for your support.