What is the point of biometrics?

Answer 1

Biometrics takes advantage of your unique characteristics. Supposedly you are the only one with your fingerprints, voice, retinal patterns, iris, palmprint, face, etc. In theory, those characteristics can be used to uniquely identify you and access to rooms, computer systems, etc. can be granted or denied based on whether you are really you. This contrasts with other methods of access control - something you know (like username/password, PIN, etc.) and something you have (smart-card, magnetic key, physical key, token, etc.).

In theory, no one else has all your biometric characteristics, but someone could possibly learn your password or steal your smartcard. In that respect biometrics are supposed to be more secure than the other methods. In practice, biometrics are still somewhat prone to both false positive and false negative failures. Most biometric identification methods can still be fooled at least some of the time by a very skillful intruder. For these reasons, when reliable authentication is very important, 2-factor or even 3-factor authentication is recommended, with biometric authentication being one of the authenticating factors.

Answer 2

Biometrics are used to verify a person's identity based on their unique physical or behavioral characteristics, such as fingerprints or facial features. This enhances security by providing a more reliable and convenient way to authenticate individuals compared to traditional methods like passwords or PINs. Biometrics are also used in various applications such as access control, time and attendance tracking, and mobile device security.