Oracle has introduced selfie-based biometric authentication and liveness detection into its enterprise cloud platform to strengthen identity security and reduce the risk of workforce fraud. The capability has been embedded directly within its cloud identity management system, allowing organisations to verify users through facial recognition as part of their authentication process.
The new feature is built into Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s Identity and Access Management (IAM) Identity Assurance service. By integrating biometrics as a native function, the company aims to enhance existing authentication methods rather than replace them. The system works alongside traditional security controls such as push notifications, one-time passcodes, and FIDO2-based authentication tools used in multi-factor authentication systems.
To activate the service, users first complete an enrolment process. This involves scanning a government-issued identification document and matching it with a facial scan. Once verification is completed, the platform converts the facial data into encrypted mathematical representations known as vector embeddings. These are stored securely and used for future identity checks. The original images are deleted after enrolment, and biometric information is kept separate from other sensitive identity records.
After enrolment, users may be asked to verify their identity through selfie authentication when accessing sensitive systems or during periodic security checks. The platform also supports step-up authentication when higher levels of verification are required.
Administrators can configure policies that determine when biometric verification is triggered. These policies can be managed within Oracle’s IAM Identity Domain or integrated into environments that rely on external identity providers.
The company says the built-in biometric capability simplifies identity verification for enterprises and removes the need to connect external biometric APIs or plugins. The service also includes audit trails and lifecycle management features to support compliance and governance requirements.
Identity Assurance with biometric authentication is currently available to Oracle IAM customers in the Phoenix and Ashburn cloud regions in the US.
