BIO-key Upgrades PortalGuard With New Palm Authentication Feature

BIO-key has added another authentication option to its PortalGuard Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) Platform. The new MobileAuth feature is realized with a mobile app that is available on any Android or iOS device, and currently utilizes contactless PalmPositive technology to authenticate users with an accurate palm scan.

MobileAuth does not require any additional hardware, and instead leverages the biometric scanners already available on a standard smartphone. Registration is carried out in a matter of seconds with a QR code that links a digital identity to a specific biometric. The palm scan is the only option at the moment, though future versions of MobileAuth will offer support for other biometric modalities, including face and voice recognition. 

BIO-key refers to the method itself as Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB), and is pitching the solution as a more secure alternative to knowledge and device-based identifiers. The company noted that 81 percent of all hacks can be attributed to weak or stolen passwords, and while devices are more secure, they are still vulnerable if the owner chooses to share that device with an unauthorized individual. In both cases, organizations cannot control who has access to their system because people have the ability to share their credentials without an official approval.

The IBB solution is device-agnostic, so an employee can use the same biometric to sign in on any MobileAuth device once that biometric is registered. The system uses liveness detection to prevent spoofing, and enables single-sign on capabilities for multiple applications when integrated with the rest of the PortalGuard IDaaS platform.

“While we still provide customers with a full suite of flexible authentication options, we felt it was important to introduce a different way to authenticate that costs less and provides the security controls enterprises need without sacrificing convenience,” said BIO-key Chairman and CEO Michael DePasquale. “By launching MobileAuth as a form of Identity-Bound Biometrics, customers can have the confidence that their multi-factor authentication and passwordless workflows will distinguish legitimate users from hackers.”

PalmPositive is one of more than 16 authentication options available to PortalGuard users. BIO-key added a new passwordless authentication feature to the IDaaS platform in February, and later partnered with Appsian to make PortalGuard more user-friendly.

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May 10, 2021 – by Eric Weiss