Preventing the abuse of biometric recognition technology

Europol’s tech experts team up with practitioners and academia to spearhead research against the potential exploitation of biometric identification systems.

A new Europol report looks at the ubiquitous biometric recognition technology and its potential for exploitation by criminals. Biometric recognition technology is a trusted and reliable way to verify identities and is now widely used to protect personal electronic devices and sensitive accounts. Fingerprint scans or facial recognition technology are increasingly replacing passwords to make logging in or confirming payment effortless. But this convenience presents new threats that need to be acknowledged by law enforcement and the general public. A password can be updated, but biometrics cannot.

Although biometric recognition systems are generally robust, provided they are well-secured and implemented correctly, academic research shows that there are ways to trick these systems. Examples include the use of masks, artificial fingerprints or deepfakes to bypass biometric authentication mechanisms. As authentication increasingly relies on biometric identification, it is crucial for law enforcement to understand the associated vulnerabilities.

By researching and identifying how criminals might exploit weaknesses, authorities can take more effective and targeted countermeasures. This new Europol report identifies potential ways of exploiting vulnerabilities, thus enabling law enforcement agencies to update their systems and detect such incidents during investigations.

Building on expertise to stay ahead of tech-savvy criminals 

Law enforcement must work closely with experts in the field to gain insight into potential attacks, so that any attempts at exploitation will be detected early on. Encouraging collaboration across relevant disciplines, such as biometrics, forensics and cybersecurity, is essential to staying ahead of this threat. Authorities must also take steps to detect and document any attempted attacks to understand the progress criminals are making in exploiting potential weaknesses in biometric recognition systems. The report shows how law enforcement and academic experts have joined forces to identify and address the challenges posed by these technological developments, with a view to strengthening their community and keeping European citizens safe.

More information: Europol