Cybersecurity organization Cisco Talos Intelligence Group has found that recreating fingerprints for phishing can be accomplished with an 80 percent success rate , and that expensive equipment is not required to do so.
The researchers were able to accomplish the feat with a readily available 3-D printer that recreated a finger that it printed with a simple mold and glue.
3d print
The testers found that Apple products were more vulnerable to biometric override than drives running Windows 10 . But they noted that they were able to make more attempts to break into an iPads because they knew the codes that overridden the five-entry limit on fingerprint attempts. Without those codes, your success rate would have been notably lower.
"Still, this level of success rate means that we have a very high probability of unlocking any of the devices tested, the researchers noted.
The proliferation of low-cost 3D printers made it easier for researchers to circumvent biometric barriers based on fingerprints.
Still, consumers in general can feel safe, because hackers must overcome significant barriers to breach security (they must obtain a user’s fingerprint and then the user’s device), so the probability of being attacked is not high. .
The results show that fingerprints are good enough to protect the privacy of the average person if they lose their phone. However, a person who is likely to be the target of a well-funded and motivated hacker should not use fingerprint authentication.