Next-Gen Biometrics: Using the Force of Habit

National Westminster Bank in London is tracking every movement customers make on its website or mobile app, looking for behavior that doesn't match past actions or clues that users are not who they purport to be. Behavioral biometric software is catching on in the industry, typically as one of an array of measures to prevent digital banking fraud. The recent cybertheft at Tesco Bank in Edinburgh, Scotland, in which about $3 million was stolen from 9,000 customer accounts, has brought the need for such defenses to the forefront. "I've seen banks in the U.K. use behavioral biometrics and I've seen a lot of interest amongst major U.S. banks," said Avivah Litan, a vice president at Gartner. "Behavioral biometrics has proven to reduce false positives."