Hackers claim to have broken Apple's Touch ID fingerprint security just after a day of iPhone 5S's launch. iPhone maker has been talking a lot about fingerprint technology providing high level of security. Chaos Computer Club (CCC)'s hacking team has claimed to have successfully managed to bypass the biometric security of iPhone's TouchID using everyday means.
The team was able to unlock the phone by photographing a fingerprint left on glass surface and creating a fake finger impression. This was done to demonstrate that fingerprint biometrics is unreliable for access control and should be avoided. Chief scientist at German hacking think tank SRLabs, Karsten Nohl commented in a talk with BBC, "It would have been incredible if Apple had managed to do something the rest of the biometrics industry has failed to achieve after decades of trying, so I'm not surprised it was hacked after just one day. Claiming this system offers a high level of security is just ridiculous."
Though Apple hasn't portrayed its Touch ID as a complete replacement for traditional passcode security but it maintains that Touch ID is secure. Touch ID has been marketed as a more convenient way of unlocking the phone.
Touch ID is designed to minimise the input of your passcode; but your passcode will be needed for additional security validation. - Apple
CCC apparently is fumed over the high speculation that was created for the new technology being very secure - the hype over Apple's fingerprint technology was pretty high in the tech media. Read WCCF's post here.
CCC debunk report says "Apple's sensor has just a higher resolution compared to the sensors so far. So we only needed to ramp up the resolution of our fake. As we have said now for more than years, fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints."
The short video of the hacking of Apple Touch ID can be seen here. For more details, read Chaos Computer Club's report here.
