Identity & access management (IAM) systems utilize modern security infrastructure to catch bad actors and purge outdated security credentials before they become serious data breaches.
Research shows that cyberattacks increased by 72% between 2021 and 2023; no business is safe from becoming a victim of outdated security architecture. Even the Internet Archive has recently fallen under repeated attacks from data hackers, exposing the user data of over 31 million users to theft and misuse.
Modern businesses must employ the most advanced identity access security systems to protect themselves and their users. In 2024 and beyond, this includes behavioral biometrics, an umbrella term for how security systems can identify threats by detecting anomalies in user behavior patterns.
This article explores how modern IAM systems analyze user behavior patterns and why businesses should seek identity management systems that utilize this advanced tactic in today’s data-driven market.
What is Biometric Authentication?
Behavioral biometrics builds on “biometric authentication,” an important concept in the digital identity management space. Conventional biometric authentication is commonly deployed in industries that collect and store sensitive user data. Examples include:
- Healthcare Systems that collect and store patient records with direct user identification to assure that each individual’s medical history is distinct and locatable.
- Education Systems that regulate access control on school networks and on-site locations to improve student safety by detecting and denying unauthorized physical and digital access.
- Banking Systems that verify user biometrics such as facial and fingerprint information to securely access customer information, authorize transactions, and mitigate identity theft risk.
These examples demonstrate the benefit of biometric authentication in modern user access scenarios. The goals of these systems are to identify individual users, exclude all other possible users, verify their access authorization, and securely log them onto their networks. These concepts translate directly to behavioral biometrics in the context of a modern company’s security architecture.
What is Behavioral Biometrics?
Compared to biometric authentication, behavioral biometrics analyzes user data more precisely to detect cybercriminals through anomalous user patterns. The idea is that the verified user will have behavioral patterns that differ from the usage patterns of fraudsters.
If the difference can be detected, the system can theoretically admit genuine users and exclude hackers before they access high-level user data. With modern IAM systems, behavioral biometrics are no longer a theory.
Using five key factors in user behavior analysis, modern behavioral biometrics create a pattern profile for individual users that is far more complex than human security professionals or past systems could analyze. The patterns they analyze include:
The activity of the user’s mouse and devices, including the scroll speed and page preferences.- The keystroke behavior, such as the frequency of shortcut use and the typing speed.
- The device movement, including the gyro orientation, scrolling style, and scrolling speed.
- The touchscreen use, including the pressure they exert, the size of the presses, and the press patterns.
- The physical biometrics, such as retinal scans, fingerprint scans, facial recognition, and voice recognition.
This biometric data cannot be efficiently analyzed under normal circumstances. However, IAM systems equipped with behavioral biometrics can create user profiles using this data and detect anomalies in future logins.
While using one new shortcut may not be a red flag, a significant difference in multiple behavioral metrics could signal a bad actor logging onto the network with false or outdated credentials.
By containing and authenticating suspicious users, IAM systems give businesses an invisible advantage over hackers, who may believe that cloud environments can be accessed with impunity if they possess valid user credentials.
The Future of Biometric Authentication
Using even more advanced biometrics, businesses can enhance IAM systems with extremely specific identification measures. Other metrics currently being researched include the ability to conduct a gait analysis to detect users of different walking styles and a vein pattern analysis, which can potentially detect a user’s unique blood flow pattern through touch.
With such specific user identification data on file, businesses must work harder than ever to protect user analytics from data theft. Versatile IAM systems adapt to a business’s current security architecture, smartly utilize AI to automate administrative tasks, and provide customization options for businesses of all sizes.
While utilizing behavioral biometrics demonstrates a commitment to trending technology, companies must proportionally advance their user safety measures to ensure that user data, including biometrics, remains safe.
Contact an Experienced Cybersecurity Team to Optimize Your Identity & Access Management Process
Modern identity & access management workflows hinge on advancing the science of corporate network security to outpace the abilities of modern hackers.
IAM user behavior monitoring equips businesses with the means to detect suspicious network activity by tracking specific actions, activity, and even biological markers to flag differences between authorized users and bad actors before their activity results in a costly data breach.
Advantage.Tech provides managed IT, cybersecurity, and consulting services for over 800 clients in diverse industries. Contact us today to learn how user behavior monitoring can protect employee credentials and other user data from modern security threats in 2024 and beyond.