Biometric Authentication
Biometric authentication confirms a person's identity using a physical characteristic, most commonly the face, by comparing a live capture against a previously enrolled reference and confirming that a real, present person is being captured.
Why it matters
Passwords and one-time codes can be stolen or intercepted. A face, verified live, binds the action to the person who was originally verified during KYC.
How it works
- Enrolment during onboarding, tied to the verified identity document.
- Capture of a fresh selfie or short video.
- Liveness detection to reject photos, masks, replays and injected video.
- Face matching with a configurable threshold.
- Result passed to the business's authentication or risk workflow.
Common challenges
- Presentation and injection attacks.
- Consistent accuracy across populations and lighting.
- Privacy expectations around biometric data.
How IDWise supports this
IDWise addresses this within the Continuous Trust Platform through the following modules, configured per market, product line and risk tier.
Frequently asked questions
Is biometric authentication secure?
Face authentication with independently evaluated liveness detection provides strong resistance to spoofing; it is typically combined with device and behavioural signals.
What is passive liveness?
Liveness detection that analyses a normal selfie without asking the user to blink or turn, keeping the experience short.
Where is biometric authentication used?
Account recovery, high-value transactions, payee changes and re-KYC.
Related terms
Talk to an IDWise specialist about your markets, regulators and risk controls.