Facial Biometrics: Protecting America’s Infrastructure Against Cyberattack

The unfortunate invasion of Ukraine earlier this year has resulted in countless sanctions from world-leading economies to Russia. The penalty placed by numerous authorities aims to weaken the country’s ability to fund the military and possibly discontinue any effort to be aggressive in Eastern Europe. However, the Russians are continuing their hostile behavior not only in Ukraine but also in the online sphere.

Right after the conflict started, risk management firm Stellar Cyber recorded a whopping 800% increase in Russian-backed cyberattacks. In addition, several cybercrime groups have already pledged their support to Russia over the months, with the US government fearing more intrusive cyberattacks from the Russians moving forward. This would put countless public and private American infrastructures at risk of getting compromised, resulting in extensive reputational and financial damage.

The continual increase of domestic and foreign digital attacks in recent years led to the American cybersecurity environment reaching its boiling point. Various threats from different sources can significantly damage a government institution or private enterprise, and looking for modern solutions has become a priority for many. A “zero trust” approach by the US government regarding cybersecurity is also vital in improving processes and fending off bad actors.

With cybersecurity one of the top priorities of the US government, a 2021 legislation of President Joe Biden looked to improve the nation’s cybersecurity further. Executive Order 14028 seeks to modernize cybersecurity processes in the public sector while enhancing partnerships with private organizations in protecting federal and private networks. And pursuant to this, multiple government firms called for various guidelines that can help boost online protection for classified data.

For example, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) discontinued the support for user identity verification methods that are non-resistant to phishing and other cyberattacks. In addition, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has appealed to institutions and private individuals to take stringent measures in online data protection.

And one of the leading approaches to improving cybersecurity in the new normal is the adoption of biometrics for identity proofing. Recently, most devices have been released with built-in scanners for different biological data, such as fingerprints and facial structures. Using fingerprint and facial biometric authentication allowed users to enjoy passwordless login while signing in for remote work or different e-commerce and social media platforms.

Posing as legitimate users is one of the leading tricks used by cybercriminals in the past decade. Adopting facial biometrics can help public and private organizations guarantee that the individuals accessing and sharing information are authorized individuals. To learn more about how facial biometrics can help protect America’s infrastructure against cyberattacks, check this article provided by authID.