Safeguarding personal information is the most important part of online interactions for many major everyday uses, from official documentation to digital commerce. Identity verification serves as the cornerstone of cybersecurity efforts, ensuring that only authorized individuals gain access to personal data. From financial institutions to government agencies, the concept has permeated every sector, becoming synonymous with online account protection. Innovative solutions like Photolok are revolutionizing the landscape of ID verification technology with image-based multi-factor authentication (MFA).
What is ID Verification
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, identity verification can be defined as, “the process of confirming or denying that a claimed identity is correct by comparing the credentials of a person requesting access with those previously proven and associated with the [identifying information] associated with the identity being claimed.” To put this more simply, identity verification is a series of steps taken to ensure that the person who is trying to view sensitive personal information – such as banking information, medical records, or information related to business or personal transactions – is actually who they say they are and not someone pretending to be them.
ID verification has been used by banks, schools, medical facilities, and government agencies practically since their inception in some form or other. In modern times, the term has become synonymous with online account protection, acting as a method of protecting information that we put into the digital world.
How ID Verification Works
The verification process normally begins with the gathering of identifying information from the person (the protectee) whose information a business or agency (the protector) is trying to protect. This often includes biographical information such as their name, age, or appearance and practical information such as their current home address, phone number, or email address. This is also when the protector will ask the protectee to create an identifying credential or a piece (or multiple pieces) of information that only they know, such as a password.
Protecting parties will also often ask protectees for secondary credentials that can be used in multi-factor authentication (MFA), which makes it more difficult for thieves to access information. This secondary credential might be
- Biological – a face scan or fingerprint
- Biographical – the answer to a security question or an official ID document (driver’s license, passport, military ID, etc.)
- Practical – a secondary device, application, number, or address that can have an access code sent to it or from which you can confirm a login attempt
Digital MFA might also include anti-bot and anti-AI measures such as Captcha puzzles or “I am not a robot” checkboxes.
Once all of this information is collected and associated with a particular identity, it can be used to verify attempts to access information. When a person approaches the protector, they must present the base identifying credentials – a username or email and a password, for example, or an account number and the name associated with it. From there, if MFA is in place, they must present a second set of identifying credentials. If both sets of information match the information that is on file, they are allowed access to their information.
Why ID Verification Matters in Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity, by its very definition, is the measures taken to ensure that information stored and transmitted online is only accessed by those who are intended and allowed to access it. Identity verification is the key to most cybersecurity efforts, allowing information holders to create safe spaces in the digital world for user data and for users to store that data without worrying that their sensitive personal information will be used inappropriately.
ID verification has an especially crucial role in e-commerce. The Harvard Business Review noted in an article from September of 2023 that, “Without this simple concept [of ID verification], the digital economy [couldn’t] operate. All those newly digital businesses, from fashion designers to bakeries, couldn’t have told the difference between their customers and scammers.” ID verification systems allow for the secure transfer of funds from customers to businesses of all sizes, from individual purchases at a small one-person storefront to wholesale restocks from major retailers. The flow of billions of transactions per day necessitates strong security systems like ID verification to prevent widescale collapse due to false and fraudulent purchases and transfers.
Even outside of e-commerce, ID verification allows national and local governments to modernize and streamline their operations, allowing citizens to pay bills, sign contracts and legal documents, and even (in some places) vote remotely. ID verification allows medical institutions to provide their patients with remote access to their medical records and easier access to their doctors, pharmacists, and other specialists for treatment plans including appointments and medication.
Of course, no technology is perfect. The Federal Trade Commission noted that, in 2022 alone, consumers lost nearly $8.8 billion to fraud and scams, a growth of nearly 30% from the previous year. Many of these scams included identity fraud, making unauthorized transactions using the stolen information of the victims to steal their money. Much of this comes from data security breaches from major companies, leaking passwords, usernames, emails, and other identifying information into the hands of scammers. That being said, adding layers of ID verification into your online systems can slow bad actors’ access down or stop it entirely, thwarting these fraudulent attempts even if they have access to some of your users’ information.
How Photolok Can Help Improve Cybersecurity
Photolok is an innovative ID verification system that uses image-based MFA to protect user information. A user picks photos to act as “keys” to their accounts; when they input their primary credentials into the system, they’re prompted to select their account photos from a grid of photos in order to enter their online destination.
Not only is this system more secure than a security question or email verification – as there is no practical way or reason to write down the solutions and access to the user’s email wouldn’t reveal the necessary photos – but it is also resistant to AI and machine learning attacks, which is an essential feature as these technologies continue to evolve. It also includes options for labeling photos for 1-Time Use that can improve secure access in public spaces and on public computers as well as Duress photos that can be selected to access the information while sending a security alert to an administrator in the event of a forced entry.
Photolok offers simple-to-use but highly advanced security options for any business at reasonable rates. They partner well with such useful tools as Okta Workforce, OAuth 2.0, and Open ID Connect, offer multi-domain support, device limiting and authorization, and custom photo library options for additional security and personalization.
For more information about Photolok, you can contact the sales team for a demonstration.
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