The Future of Authentication in iPhones & Macs

Let’s look at the future of authentication in phones and systems. Of course, the technology itself inspires one another for innovation to be implemented in the vast array of emerging Internet of Things (IoT) sooner or later.

Access controls are security features that control how users and systems communicate and interact with other systems and resources.

Three general factors can be used for authentication

1. something a person knows
2. something a person has
3. something a person is

A. Authentication by knowledgeB. Authentication by ownershipC. Authentication by characteristic
Authenticating a person’s identity based on his knowledge is referred as ‘Password’ or ‘Passphrase’ or ‘PIN’ (Personal Identification Number).
Authenticating a person’s identity based on something he owns like RSA Secur-ID, token

Authenticating a person’s identity based on a unique physical attribute is referred to as biometrics.

Ex: Apple’s Touch ID (fingerprint) for iPhones, Facial Recognition in Lenovo laptops/systems
These are the excerpts from Wikipedia.

VeriFace is a face-recognition software package that is a registered trademark of Lenovo and was the first Face Verification Technology on public computer.
Apple’s Touch ID is a fingerprint recognition feature, designed and released by Apple Inc., and currently available on the iPhone 5S, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the iPad Air 2, and the iPad Mini 3. Apple says Touch ID is heavily integrated into iOS devices, allowing users to unlock their device, as well as make purchases in the various Apple digital media stores (iTunes Store, the App Store, iBookstore), and to authenticate Apple Pay online or in apps.
Apple’s Touch ID is nothing but ‘Authentication by Characteristic’.
Authenticating systems in the enterprise only using Passwords is a single factor authentication and if we use two characteristics of authentication then it becomes 2FA or Two-Factor Authentication. RSA Secur-ID or tokens.
However, 3FA or Three Factor Authentication is also feasible but is rarely used. In the future multi-factor authentication is being enforced where security is of utmost importance such as banks, financial institutions or intellectual property so on & so forth.
Once the 3FA is being enforced then first users have to type the password then it recognises our face using its own facial recognition algorithm and if it matches then we can use the Apple’s iPhone – Touch ID for finger print authentication. The same technology could be seen in the systems and the wide array of Internet of Things (IoT).