A major flaw in Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone has been discovered that basically means any fingerprint can unlock the device with the help of a cheap screen protector.
According to the BBC, a British woman discovered the
authentication flaw after she applied a cheap gel screen protector bought off
eBay to her Galaxy S10.
She soon discovered that she was able to authenticate as the owner by pressing
her left thumbprint against the phone’s onscreen fingerprint sensor. The
problem being that she hadn’t registered her thumb with the device’s biometric authentication
system.
Her suspicions were confirmed when her husband was also able to unlock the
phone by pressing either one of his thumbs on the screen’s built-in sensor. The
screen protector was then applied to another relative’s Galaxy S10 and the same
thing occurred.
Responding to the incident, Samsung said it was “aware of the case of
S10’s malfunctioning fingerprint recognition and will soon issue a software
patch.”
Previous reports have suggested that certain screen protectors are
“incompatible” with Samsung’s fingerprint sensor because they leave a
small air gap that can interfere with the scanning. The sensor relies on
ultrasound to detect the microscopic ridges that make every fingerprint unique.
The Galaxy S10 is the latest in Samsung’s flagship S series, which is usually
regarded as the iPhone’s annual rival. The Korean company launched the phone in
March and referred to its under-screen fingerprint authentication system as
“revolutionary.”
