The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has rolled out a new security mechanism for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication, aimed at making it more robust and secure. This new security mechanism, developed in-house, uses a combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to check the liveness of the fingerprint captured.
By using a combination of finger minutia and finger image, the mechanism aims to prevent spoofing attempts by unscrupulous elements, particularly in the banking and financial, telecom, and government sectors.
“The new two-factor/layer authentication is adding add-on checks to validate the genuineness (liveness) of the fingerprint so as to further cut down the chances of spoofing attempts,” UIDAI said in a press release.
One of the major benefits of this new authentication system is that it provides an additional layer of security to the Aadhaar-enabled payment system. It makes it much harder for bad actors to gain access to someone’s Aadhaar data and carry out fraudulent transactions.
“The new security mechanism for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication has now become fully functional. The rollout and migration happened after months of discussion and hand-holding by UIDAI of its partners and user agencies,” the release adds.
The development of this new security mechanism is also expected to have a significant impact on various segments, including banking and financials, telecom, and government sectors.
Overall, the development of this new security mechanism for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication is a significant step towards enhancing the security and robustness of the system. The adoption of Aadhaar-based authentication transactions has been on an upward trend, with a cumulative number of 88.29 billion transactions by the end of December 2022 reflecting its widespread usage and utility in daily lives.
The new security mechanism is expected to further enhance the trust in the system and make it easier for individuals and businesses to access government schemes and services. With constant engagement and due diligence of UIDAI with authentication user agencies (AUAs), this new system will be able to prevent malicious attempts by unscrupulous elements and create a safer, more secure digital ecosystem for all.
With PTI inputs
