Smartphone capabilities should result in greater take-up of voice biometrics

Voice biometrics turns into a key a part of authentication technology within the coming years.

According to fraud prevention, authentication and transaction verification solutions provider ValidSoft, voice biometrics could be central to future payments authentication if obstacles to adoption may be overcome.

The company claimed that with the rise in smartphone usage for financial services highlights the will for banks, businesses and governments to take another take a look at methods of authenticating end-users. It claimed that it's not sufficient to merely secure hardware endpoints as organisations want assurances that the person at that endpoint is the man she or he claims to be, and vice versa.

Pat Carroll, CEO of ValidSoft, said: “A multi-factor/four-factor technique to user authentication and transaction verification provides robust security without compromising customer experience and voice biometrics can play a crucial role on this.

“The four aspects of a person's identity that should be checked are: something you're, namely your voiceprint; something you've got that's your cell phone; something you realize, this may be your PIN or password; and somewhere you're (or not), which are established using privacy-protected signalling services related to the worldwide mobile networks.”

He told SC Magazine that the day of 2-factor authentication (2FA) being a panacea has gone, yet it truly is still the most desirable. “I can see voice biometrics as leading section of infrastructure. Banks are taking this up but take a look at a diffusion and a move to using phones as a part of the transaction,” he said.

“There is not any silver bullet, but with layered security technologies there's a strong future. If we do move to mobile payments then we have to get it right.”

Dan Miller from Opus Research predicted that the worldwide choice of registered voiceprints increases from ten million today to over 25 million in 2015. He said: “Voice biometrics strikes the suitable balance of robust authentication and value. It's a powerful tool for preventing fraud and promoting empowerment through self-service and should in the end help financial institutions get monetary savings from fraudulent transactions and reduced administration costs.

“In a social, mobile environment, user authentication has become more important than ever with the intention to protect unauthorised access to corporate resources and to avoid fraudulent transactions.”