biometric authentication Archives

30Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Tech

Protecting your data from face-stealing scams

As facial recognition technology becomes more widespread, many people are embracing it as a secure and convenient means of authentication. With tech giants like Apple popularising Face ID, which not only encrypts facial data and only stores it on device in Secure Enclave, but also uses sophisticated 3D scanning that can’t be easily fooled or compromised, financial institutions however have also integrated facial recognition into their security protocols. However, Adrian Stanford, Group CTO at ESET Southern Africa, says the latest ESET Threat Report H1 2024 reveals that cybercriminals are adapting quickly to the use of less sophisticated biometric technology. Using advanced techniques, attackers are now exploiting AI-driven face-swapping services to bypass security measures and gain unau...

5Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Kenya News, Tech

IDEX Biometrics and Vasmobile launch biometric school ID program in Africa

Vasmobile Fintelco is launching SkoolID, the African School ID and Smart Payment Card, based on the biometric card platform from IDEX Biometrics. The agreement and first production order represent a value of $1.4 million, with delivery starting in the fourth quarter of 2024. The multi-year agreement sets Vasmobile up to scale across Kenya in 2025 and further expansion into other parts of Africa as of 2026. Today Vasmobile is offering payment card solutions to schools with the support of the M-Pesa payment network. This new school ID will be upgraded to a biometric smart card, incorporating the IDEX biometric technology, including biometric solution, card operating system, and applets developed by Vasmobile. This is a world first use case for biometric smart cards. These cards will secure...

12Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News, Tech

The short answer to long passwords

Our digital world has become increasingly risky where hackers access personal data and steal identities with little effort. It’s said that nearly half of all South African consumers have either been a victim of ID theft, or know someone who has, costing in the region of R1 billion a year to the economy. Identity theft is big business – where a fake ID can cost just R3000 on the dark web or in the dark alleys of the city. But are longer, more complicated passwords and security measures the answer for South Africans? A recent Google survey revealed that more than half of the respondents admitted to reusing the same password for multiple accounts. Around 80% of hacking breaches can be attributed to reused or stolen credentials. Pan-African fintech innovator, iiDENTIFii, however, has develop...

22Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Tech

How biometric authentication is creating safer, seamless digital experiences

Consumer adoption of remote biometric authentication soars In a connected world, necessary safety measures like biometric authentication don’t need to be implemented at the expense of a seamless digital experience, says Gur Geva, Co-Founder and CEO at iiDENTIFii – leader in remote biometric authentication and automated onboarding. As more products and services move online, the way customers experience those services is more important than ever. At the same time, liveness detection is now a non-negotiable given the realities of identity theft and fraud. Liveness is the guarantee that the individual attempting to authenticate is a real person, not a mask, a bot or a deepfake. The good news, according to Geva, is that balancing customer experience with frictionless onboarding is now enti...