I love using the fingerprint scanner on my phone. When I’m trying to pull up a recipe while cooking or have a drink in my hand, it makes getting into my phone simple while keeping it secure. But it seems that it may not be as secure as we think. The same way that people have been able to fool face-recognition sensors with facsimiles of faces, researchers have developed a set of “master” fingerprints – like a master key – that shows some flaws in the process.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a set of fake digital fingerprints that put together the common features found in many fingerprints.

With these digital composites, the team was able to get matches 65 percent of the time in their simulation. This is just a simulation, and the New York Times says that experts think the process would be less successful in the real world, but it does still introduce a worry.


Matching snapshots

While no two fingerprints are exactly alike, there are patterns, and our phones read our prints by comparing them to snapshots of parts of our fingers. So the print stored on your phone is a bunch of tiny pieces of prints rather than a scan of a full print, and those little pieces have more similarity than total prints do.

Dr. Nasir Memon, a professor at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering and one of three authors of the study, believes that if one could print a glove with the so-called MasterPrints on them, 40-50 percent of iPhones could be accessed within the 5 tries allowed before the password prompt pops up.

The potential ramifications of this will be hard to guess at until these studies start putting physical prints against physical phones, but Memon said the risk drops as you have fewer prints included on the phone. More prints stored means more snapshots and more potential matches.

There’s not much to worry about quite yet, but maybe our phones should have multi-factor authentication as well.

https://www.droid.ng/topic/130/the-fingerprint-reader-on-your-phone-may-not-be-as-secure-as-you-think/

seun Lalasticlala

Really

Mayb

Ok

I still dey enjoy am on my note 3 for now.... i love fingerprint security because of it's simplicity,no need of typing long password everytime

Make I kukuma go find 3310 or 3510i for computer village this morning cos all this thing don't tire me hen.

Yea....... Thought as much

The finger print is actually secured but it can also be hacked. But it will take high technological reasoning to do so

thank God I'm not using finger printing phones. those finger printing and toe printing are just gimmicks to make people buy expensive phones they don't actually need.

For fucking real, whats the point then.

Wen u aslp person fit carry ur finger to unlock

Hmm

I yam not understanding... Anyone to explain

mtcheeew.. useless thread..... no good information was passed whatsover

Bubu must hear this. Straight to Aso Villa.

how many people use that function or have that function on their phones?

No wonder My recently lost phone was accessed quickly by the thief

Na wah oh! Nothing in technology without flaws! U think it's secured just wait till you lose it!

True true not 100% secure bc my cuz ones unlocked ma phone with the fingerprint scanner.

Ok

My problem with Finger print is that while u r sleeping, someone will just carry your phone, lifts your finger and unlocks the phone. That's what my roommate used to do to me until I caught him.

Hmm.. Okay o
The only thing I dey use mine for nah just to easily unlock my phone and to take a shot sha..

In the world of science (technology) security has always been compromised. Innovations springs forth new and sophisticated ideas.

op a finger print phone cant be flashed or what is the need for finger print when stolen

I was thinking you will say it causes cancer
But thank God

mooregan:
My problem with Finger print is that while u r sleeping, someone will just carry your phone, lifts your finger and unlocks the phone. That's what my roommate used to do to me until I caught him.

Lol