How liveness detection catches deepfakes and spoofing attacks

Biometric liveness detection can stop fake users in their tracks. Learn how the technology works to distinguish real humans from deepfakes and other spoofing attacks.

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• Karen Scarfone, Scarfone Cybersecurity

Many security experts believe biometrics-based verification -- for example, capturing users' faces through their device cameras to confirm their identities -- is critical for achieving strong cybersecurity in a user-friendly way.

However, fraudsters can now use generative AI technology to impersonate users and access their private accounts, threatening the viability of biometric systems. Defenders need tools and techniques to differentiate real humans from deepfake doppelgangers and other spoofing attempts.

One of the key techniques for spotting deepfakes is known as liveness detection: the use of an algorithm to verify that a live person is generating biometric data in real time. In addition to thwarting the use of AI-generated deepfakes for biometric authentication, liveness verification technology can also ...