Fingerprints Can Now Be Stolen From Photos
If you like having your fingers up when taking a photo, we’ve got bad news for you.
Hackers are now able to gather fingerprint information from photos taken up to 9 feet away. Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) has researchers saying it could be done.
A lot of smartphones, tablets, and laptops are already making use of fingerprint recognition to up their security. Newer iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones already have the technology present in their devices. The thought of having someone access your device by stealing your fingerprints from a selfie that you posted is very unnerving indeed.
The researchers at NII already made it work, copying fingerprints based on photos from a digital camera up to 9 feet away from a person’s hands. This means posing with the ‘peace sign’ or a thumbs up could risk you losing your security information. Isao Echizen, related to this topic in one of his recent interviews for the Sankei Shimbun published Monday. Passwords can easily be changed if acquired by hackers, but biometrics are a totally different matter.
Echizen also pointed out at Yomiuri TV that strong lighting in a photo with your fingers up could mean a complete recreation of your fingerprint. He also added that it didn’t require advanced technology to copy the fingerprint, and that anyone could potentially get it off your hands.
This alarming news has been faced with a lot of shock, but NII also provided a ‘solution’ for the possible fingerprint theft. A film made up of titanium oxide that attaches to the fingers were made as a solution for this dilemma. The film can prevent your biometrics being copied while still being able to use them for identity verification. The technology, however, isn’t complete and would need at least 2 more years to finish development. The film could possibly protect celebrities and hand models from having their information stolen by criminals around the globe.
Article Source:
Japan Times
