Your fingerprint. It’s unique to you, or at least that’s what they tell us. According to Apple, every fingerprint is so rare, that even a small section of two separate fingerprints has a 1 in 50,000 chance of registering as a match for the Touch ID they build into their technology. And with only five chances to get it right before your device resorts back to requiring you to enter your passcode, it’s kind of like a double security system designed to keep your data safe.
Or is it?
The fingerprint scanning device built into today’s smartphones is relatively small. Because they can’t read your entire fingerprint, they are typically designed to scan different parts of a fingerprint to ensure that you can activate your device with just one press of a finger or thumb. That’s why your device had you press down on the sensor multiple times while setting it up.
Only one of these partial scans must match for the sensor to unlock the device. And since many people have registered their phone with more than one of their fingers, there’s a much greater chance of falsely matching a partial print that the more sophisticated systems that require a full reading.
Despite fingerprints being unique, researchers have found that there are similarities between different prints and that they are strong enough to imitate another's prints successfully. With five attempts, that gives a hacker five different chances at breaking in with this partial match process. They can use five different fingerprints with five different characteristics, and the chance of one of them matching is fairly credible.
What’s worse is a hacker can often get in with your prints, even when you’re nowhere in sight. Because selfies have become a natural part of our society, we often post photos of us in different situations. Ever been caught making a peace sign? You’ve just provided biometrics that a hacker can use to access your accounts.
It’s not foolproof. But did we really expect it to be?
Phone makers acknowledge that fingerprint scanners won’t stop every intruder from gaining access to your data. Instead, think of it as one more frustration a potential thief has to gain access to what you store on the other side. If you take the time to set up your fingerprint scanner, you’re probably more likely to activate other security features too.
That’s the key.
Also, realize that you shouldn’t make it easy for a would-be thief to have access to everything with just one line of defense. Take away the fingerprint identification feature on your most sensitive apps, such as mobile payments
Do you use fingerprint technology for your mobile devices?
For IT Strategy, Cloud Conversion, or Help Desk Services reach out to us at Silver Linings Technology 360-450-4759.
