Consensus Grows on Need for Biometric Security in Internet of Things

Internet of Things security provider Sansa Security has announced a list of predictions for 2015, and biometrics factors into them in a fairly important way.

Firstly, Sansa believes that 2015 could herald the “Death of the Password”, with the archaic security solution giving way to biometric and two-factor authentication. As proof of the trend, the company points specifically to the fingerprint-scanning Touch ID system now embedded in all new Apple mobile devices, which has indeed been a pioneering force in introducing the technology to the mass market. Hedging its bets a little bit, Sansa also gloomily says, “Until two-factor authentication becomes the default setting on IoT devices, expect to continue reading stories about IoT devices getting hacked and their information leaked onto the Internet.”

The other major gateway for biometric technology in the coming year is “The Rise of IoT 2.0” – a new generation of IoT devices that will offer interconnectivity. In order for that to happen, there will need to be some industry-wide sets of security standards. Major firms are starting to try to get a discussion going among all the major stakeholders, while non-profit cooperatives – ie. the FIDO Alliance – are actually working to determine the best kinds of security protocols, and biometrics technology plays a big part in those standards.

Other security firms have also expressed concerns about the security of the rapidly-evolving Internet of Things, so it seems safe to say that there is consensus about the need for stronger security. That means there is a major opportunity for biometrics providers to fill that need, which will only increase as the Internet of Things expands.