Hackers beat fingerprint security on Apple's new iPhone 5s

 
Miranda Bryant23 September 2013

Hackers have already managed to bypass the fingerprint sensor on the latest iPhone within days of its release.

A team from Berlin-based Chaos Computer Club took a high-resolution photograph of a fingerprint on the side of a glass.

They scanned it, before laser printing it on to a transparent sheet and covering it in woodglue. Once the glue had dried, they peeled off the print copy and pressed it on the scanner to unlock the device.

During the launch, Apple claimed the scanner on the new iPhone 5S was “much more secure than previous fingerprint technology” — sparking a race among hackers to be the first to prove them wrong.

The German hacker who got there first, nicknamed Starbug, said: “As we have said now for years, fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fakes out of lifted prints.”

Tesco is launching a £119 “own brand” rival to the iPad as tablet sales look set to overtake conventional PCs for the first time. The 7-inch “Hudl” device, launching next Monday, has been well received by experts and is expected to sell well for Christmas.

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