Title: ADVANTAGES AND NEEDS FOR BIOMETRICS

Advantages and needs for biometrics

Traditionally biometrics are understood as a third factor for authentication in addition to possession (token, such as a chip card or key) and knowledge (such as a PIN or password) (see above section 2.3). Obviously, biometric characteristics are valuable in cases where the two traditional factors of authentication are not sufficient for security reasons.

In a world where identity theft becomes a serious threat for whole populations, biometric features become the crucial factor for some authentication applications with enhanced security requests. In addition, biometrics show a number of additional advantages and correspondingly areas of use that will be introduced in the following.