Biometrics has advanced as a field to the extent that matching selfies and detecting simplistic spoofs are largely considered solved problems, yet fraud rates continue to rise. The top stories of the week on Biometric Update are developments from the new frontier in identity protection, where injection attacks delivering deepfakes and fakes made with generative AI are pitted against the most sophisticated liveness detection and document validation technologies.
A couple of large American technology providers are testing the limits of public tolerance of video surveillance in everyday life, while EU and the MOSIP stakeholders consider the finer details of implementing population-scale digital identity systems.
Fighting fakes
Biometric injection attacks have become the wild frontier of identity security, Chris Allgrove of Ingenium Biometric Laboratories explained in an EAB lunch talk…
MANAGEMENT & CULTURE (THE “TONE AT THE TOP”)
Fraud thrives in “sloppy” environments where leadership ignores the rules.
- The Fraud Triangle: For fraud to occur, three elements must be present: Pressure (the need for money), Rationalization (thinking “I deserve this”), and Opportunity (weak controls). You can only control the Opportunity.
- Whistleblower Hotline: Provide an anonymous way for staff to report “odd behavior.” Most internal frauds are caught via tips, not audits.
- Background Checks: Conduct credit and criminal record checks for all employees in financial or data-sensitive roles.
- Annual Ethics Training: Make sure every staff member knows that the company has a Zero Tolerance policy toward “borrowing” from petty cash or fudging overtime.