Biometrics authenticate or verify an individual's identity using physical data unique to that individual.
Types of biometric data include fingerprints and face recognition.
To make fingerprint and facial recognition easier and quicker, many devices have high-efficiency processors specifically for these tasks. For example, Samsung's Knox Vault has a separate processor and storage to secure your sensitive data.
The advantages and disadvantages of biometric authentication are at the bottom of 5.05 (Network Security).
A Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) confirms that the system is being accessed by a person and not a robot.
They work by asking users to complete challenges that computers are not good at. However, because computers can be trained to be good at something very quickly, CAPTCHAs are evolving rapidly.
Verification emails protect against automated sign-ups from bots, alongside CAPTCHAs.
Emails can also be used as part of a two-factor authentication (2FA) strategy, securing the account.
Automatic software updates help ensure your computer has up-to-date security fixes for any known vulnerabilities.
This is covered in more detail in 6.01 (Cyber Security Threats).
Which cyber security threat does each method prevent?
Biometrics: shouldering
CAPTCHAs and verification emails: distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)
Automatic software updates: malware