We live in a world that’s full of danger or risk, so it comes as no surprise that more and more people want to protect their business and family. This is where safes come in. Those smart devices help us protect our valuables (like money, jewelry, and essential documents) or hide dangerous items like weapons. By offering a reliable and effective form of protection, these lockable boxes take care of your property security.
Today, there is a broad array of options to pick from, ranging from wall and floor safes to models that are specially designed for firearms or guns protection. These use different locking mechanisms and systems for maximum security. While the standard locking safes employ combination locks, keys, or keypads, the modern solutions use biometric sensors that can recognize and read the inimitable fingerprint patterns of their owners.
On one hand, these devices may seem ideal as they don’t require from you to use a key or remember tiresome combinations. On the other hand, this is an emerging technology, which raises the question: Is it a really good and safe solution to go for?
How Do Biometric Fingerprint Safes Work?
In essence, these advanced systems work by recording the specific biometric information: your fingerprint, in this case. Once the information is stored, you can access it later when needed. No one in the world but you can access your valuables when putting the fingers on the touch circle of your security safe.
Fingerprints represent only one form of biometric information. Besides, some high-tech biometric safes involve voiceprints, eye scanning, handwriting, or even vein geometry. Regardless of the biometric information, every biometric system comprises 3 different components:
- Sensor — This part is in charge of recording and reading the biometric information.
- Software — Basically, it serves to connect the sensor to the computer.
- Computer (Hardware) — No matter what you use to access your PC, there must be an appropriate hardware to store all data for comparison.
How to Keep Your Biometric Information Safe?
Although most biometric solutions are very safe (the Viking security safe is a prime example of the latest technology), there are certain security measures you may make in order to additionally secure your biometric data.
- Keeping the software current all the while (by means of software updates and/or patches) is one of the best ways to protect your devices. This is especially important for Internet security and security of your operating system.
- Just as the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same goes for your data. So, make sure to secure all of your devices, not only your computer.
- Create a strong password that is hard to crack by hackers. Also, keep your data in limited places to reduce the chances of security breaches.
Are Biometric Fingerprint Devices Safe?
Security is the most important thing when it comes to safes. Both locking and biometric models have much the same construction. Likewise, they use strong security mechanisms to keep your goods safe. One of the biggest differences is that it is easy to lose keys or forget codes in the event of locking safes, whereas fingerprints are virtually unreplicable.
Unlike traditional locking safes, biometrics enable only you or certain people (like your family members or fellow workers) with approved fingerprints to have access to your assets. That makes a huge difference.
What’s the Catch?
Yet, there are some significant privacy concerns related to biometric systems as follows:
- Despite the great security, every data collection can be hacked. As biometric systems become more common, the biometric information will be at a higher risk of stealing because it’s available in numerous places.
- Biometric safes have become excessively commonplace and many people don’t use any of the aforementioned security measures to increase the security of their data.
- The biometric information stored in a database is highly intimate. While it’s possible to change passwords or fingerprints, Keep in mind that it’s impossible to go back once the biometric information gets compromised.
Even though biometric fingerprint safes are reliable in most situations, these devices can’t solve all of your security problems, especially the cheap commercial models. Unfortunately, many people can’t afford expensive, military-grade counterparts that come with high-end sensors. Eventually, your decision is going to depend on the evaluation of the items to be stored as well as your unique needs.
