While designing Entrust Biometric AuthenticationSenior director of product management, the company acknowledged some facts critical to the market Rima Pawar in question. These included Artificial intelligence (AI) impact and the importance of ease of adoption.
Entrust Biometric Authentication combines biometrics with adaptive risk-based authentication to reduce fraud while replacing passwords, OTPs, and security questions with low-friction user experiences. It uses three authentication methods depending on the level of perceived risk.
Biometric Passkey links authentication to a verified human identity. Face Authentication replaces one-time passwords with biometric control. Motion Authentication uses advanced liveness detection to verify human presence at critical moments.
Pawar said fraudsters are going beyond login to attack multiple points in the customer journey, such as account recovery, device changes and large transactions. Count on mass-market availability of AI-powered fraud tools that make impersonation attacks convincing, scalable and accessible.
These tools help criminals bypass traditional authentication checks like passwords, one-time passwords, and security questions.
“They were not designed to defend against today’s increasingly sophisticated AI-driven fraud threats and account takeover attacks.” said Pawar.
Passwords can scale easily. Scammers scour social media posts for clues that will reveal passwords. Models with large tongues help them.
This has helped criminals transition to exploiting password resets, access recovery, high-value transactions, and device replacement as well. A genuine response should include verification of the person behind the transaction.
“The landscape is changing, and so are we.” said Pawar. “When we work with our client base, particularly in the financial and regulated industries, that’s what they see.”
Pawar said financial services firms are leading this change. As AI-powered fraud evolves across all access points, they told Entrust they needed stronger identity assurance. Market pressure has also played a role, as global regulators increasingly push for authentication solutions that are more resistant to phishing.
How does Biometric Authentication work?
When users first interact with the system, they take a selfie that turns into an electronic-based template that customers can save to their devices, on-premises or in the cloud. It facilitates a biometrically issued pass key once incorporated into the system. During any subsequent high-risk moments, the user may be asked to verify their identity via a face capture matching an encrypted token. Depending on the client’s risk determination, the solution may also disperse movement through attention returns.
“Providing customers with flexibility based on risk is the driving factor and something that customers respond to positively.” said Pawar.
Liveness detection helps combat injection attacks. Pawar said biometrics also helps detect edge use cases such as user pressure. A well-known facial recognition system designed to combat impersonations offers another level of protection.
“This is a whole new world of fraud detection powered by AI models.” said Pawar.
With AI-powered fraud advancing rapidly and many financial services firms pushing back on relying on legacy infrastructure, Pawar said Entrust must consider ease of implementation in its design. Instead of changing infrastructure, Entrust Biometric Authentication easily adapts to the existing technology stack thanks to its zero trust architecture.
The fear of having to “rip and replace” scared off many customers. This more measured approach allows companies to develop roadmaps over time, Pawar said.
Meaningful friction still matters
Have customer friction tolerances changed over time? Pawar said meaningful friction at the right times brings reassurance.
“End users are with us on this issue,” he said. “The research is clear; biometrics is by far the most convenient and reliable method of authentication.”
The three safety pillars of tomorrow
Pawar said three phenomena will define the next generation of information security. There will be a transition from identity information to identity document. Goodbye passwords. Hello biometric passkeys.
AI versus AI is a new battleground as GenAI industrializes fraud through the scaling of synthetic identities and attack automation. AI defenses are essential protection against AI attacks.
Authentication is no longer a single step during login. It is now continuous throughout the customer journey.
“A robust framework for security throughout the identity lifecycle is essential, especially when it comes to new (AI) intermediaries.” said Pawar. “It becomes critical to secure the agents and connect them to evidence of who is behind these agents.
“Biometric authentication solutions are best positioned to make this connection.”
