Visa Study: Consumers Want Biometric Authentication, Not Passwords

A recent study has found that consumers are aware of, and are favorably disposed to, authentication methods that don’t include traditional passwords. Sponsored by Visa and conducted by AYTM Market Research, the survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers revealed that biometric authentication methods top the list of preferred password alternatives.Smartphones Give Way to Smarter AuthenticationThe shift to smaller devices such as smartphones likely has a lot to do with this. Authentication methods such as fingerprint, facial and voice recognition are easier to use on the smaller screen space of a mobile device, while the devices themselves now have enough computing power to enable the use of such technology.Mark Nelsen, senior vice president of risk and authentication products at Visa, told Help Net Security, “Advances in mobile device features are increasing the accuracy and speed of biometrics, such that they can be used for financial transactions. At the same time, consumers are widely familiar and comfortable with using biometrics for more than just unlocking their phones.”Biometrics can help solve a common problem among users: password reuse. According to the study, consumers’ poor password behavior fits what has generally been known. For instance, less than a third of respondents have a unique password for each of their accounts, which represents a security risk.

 

Source: Visa Study: Consumers Want Biometric Authentication, Not Passwords

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