Experts demonstrated the ease with which these devices can be unlocked by any user
The biometric block screen based on face recognition of the Samsung Galaxy S10 can be compromised in a very simple way, reported specialists in network security and ethical hacking from the International Institute of Cyber Security. According to the reports, you only need a photo or video of the device owner.
At the beginning of 2019, a consumer defense organization was able to analyze the security in 110 smartphones of different manufacturers, discovering that in 42 of the devices analyzed the blocking by facial recognition could be dodged using a Photograph of the owner as long as it was a high quality image.
Some network security experts and regular users analyzed the facial recognition of theSamsung Galaxy S10, the company’s representative model, discovering that their facial recognition system is much weaker than expected.
During the tests, one of the owners was able to unlock one of the S10 devices using just one photo, while a group of investigators unlocked the smartphone simply by looking for someone like the owner.
For obvious reasons, network security specialists concluded that blocking the device using facial recognition is not recommended, as it is very easy to access your confidential information and limited resources are required.
Even the manufacturer underlines that Galaxy S10’s facial recognition technology is considered less secure than implementation on other devices; “there is a possibility that someone like the owner can unlock the smartphone”. The company also reminds its users that facial recognition may fail if the owner makes some changes to the image (such as make-up, facial hair, or eyeglass use).
This is not the first time that reports on smart devices that include weak facial recognition technology are published, so users should consider the failures in this implementation before deciding to use it on a regular basis.
Information security specialist, currently working as risk infrastructure specialist & investigator.
15 years of experience in risk and control process, security audit support, business continuity design and support, workgroup management and information security standards.
