iPhone 6 Touch ID still fooled by fingerprint-lifting

 

The iPhone 6 may have improved over its predecessor the iPhone 5 in many ways, but fingerprint-based Touch ID security does not appear to be one of them.

 

Marc Rogers, a researcher for security vendor Lookout, said the iPhone 6 still fell for the fake fingerprints he created to fool the iPhone 5 a year ago.

 

"Sadly there has been little in the way of measurable improvement in the sensor between these two devices. Fake fingerprints created using my previous technique were able to readily fool both devices," Rogers said in a blog post.

 

"Just like its predecessor — the iPhone 5s — the iPhone 6’s TouchID sensor can be hacked. However, the sky isnt falling. The attack requires skill, patience, and a really good copy of someone’s fingerprint — any old smudge won’t work," he added.

 

Yet, he lamented there are no added settings to help users tighten security, such as the requirement for a passcode once TouchID has timed out.

 

Still, Rogers noted the iPhone 6's sensor appears to be "much more sensitive," due to a higher resolution scanning part.

 

Rogers added a slight improvement over the iPhone 5 was that the iPhone 6 could now detect what he called slightly “dodgy” fake fingerprints.

 

"To fool the iPhone 6 you need to make sure your fingerprint clone is clear, correctly proportioned, correctly positioned, and thick enough to prevent your real fingerprint coming through to confuse it. None of these are challenging details for a researcher in the lab, but are likely to make it a little bit harder for a criminal to just 'lift your fingerprint' from the phone’s glossy surface and unlock the device," he said.

 

On the other hand, PC World noted the weakness in the iPhone's Touch ID system is similar to that in devices from rivals such as Samsung.

 

"These security of these systems could be boosted dramatically by simply insisting on PINs in addition to fingerprints but this would kill the whole point of fingerprint systems - they are quick and convenient," it said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News