Samsung S10 software flaw means any fingerprint can unlock Galaxy phone – what to do if it happens to you

Samsung says it is working on a software update to fix the flaw 
The Samsung Galaxy S10 range, launched earlier this year, has a major issue in its fingerprint scanner tech
AP
Amelia Heathman17 October 2019

Last year, one of the hot new phone trends was the in-screen fingerprint scanner.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro was one of the first phones to have the new tech which uses an optical sensor embedded in the phone’s screen to capture fingerprint data, in order to protect all the information stored on the device.

Other companies include the in-screen scanners on their smartphones, such as OnePlus, Xiaomi and Samsung, with the Galaxy S10 range.

However, Samsung has run into some issues with its version of the scanner as it appears that in fact any fingerprint can unlock an S10 screen, not just the one that has been registered on the device.

The flaw was spotted by Lisa Neilson, who told the Sun newspaper, that after buying a £2.70 screen protector, her unregistered left thumbprint could unlock the phone. The same thing happened to one of her relatives.

Though it was presumed that it was the screen protector that caused the issue, due to the fact they can leave small air gap in between the protector and the screen that affects the scanner, Samsung has acknowledged it is, in fact, a software flaw.

A Samsung spokesperson told the Standard: "We are investigating this issue and will be deploying a software patch soon. We encourage any customers with questions or who need support downloading the latest software to contact us directly at 0330 000 0333."

It’s not a good sign that something Samsung has touted in the past as “revolutionary” and is supposed to prevent anyone unauthorised from accessing a device doesn’t actually work.

Apple has so far shunned the in-screen scanner. Instead, the company relies on its facial recognition technology, FaceID as it is more secure than a fingerprint scanner, for devices including the iPhone X and above. According to the company: “The probability that a random person in the population could look at your iPhone or iPad Pro and unlock it using Face ID is approximately 1 in 1,000,000 with a single enrolled appearance.”

For fingerprints, on the other hand, Apple says it is 1 in 50,000 for its TouchID technology available on the iPhone 8 range and below.

An in-screen fingerprint scanner may make its way to the 2020 iPhones, according to Bloomberg. Though the issues that Samsung has faced here may make Apple re-think the feature.

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