Survey Reveals Public Opinion on Biometrics and Passwords

Keeper Security, an identity access solution provider, conducted a survey of 1,115 adults on their thoughts on identity management and password behavior. The results, announced earlier today, revealed some shocking findings. Here’s a miniature By the Numbers summary:

• 66% of respondents believe biometrics are a strong tool that are both secure and convenient.
• 48% of respondents continue to store their passwords for multiple accounts in their heads.
• ⅓ of respondents still use the same password for multiple accounts. Millennials ages 18-24 are the worst offenders with 36.5% of them committing this identity management  faux pas.
• 38.9% of respondents think biometrics are more secure than passwords.
• Market research indicates that 100% of smartphones and mobile devices will have biometric capabilities.

While these findings indicate mass approval of biometrics, Keeper Security warns that the public’s opinion may be too rosy for reality.

“We were alarmed to find that consumers think the use of fingerprint and facial recognition to gain access to their devices or logins makes them safer. This is not always the case, especially when biometrics are used as the only method to authenticate a user,” said Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-founder of Keeper Security.

“Biometrics as a second factor for authentication are best because as a single factor, there is major risk. If the biometric is stolen, it can never be changed. Biometrics are simply a convenience method that call upon a password to authenticate the user.”

You can read the full press release here.