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Published in Mobiles

Iphone X face recognition insecure

by on14 November 2017


You probably were not expecting this

The “killer app” on the overpriced iPhone X, its facial recognition system, has a glaring security hole caused by poor programming.

Security firm Bkav Corporation can unlock it by using a mask, something that could have been resolved if the facial recognition software had been properly thought through.

Bkav Corporation claimed that it only took them a week to successfully beat iPhone X’s Face ID and have released a video on their website that shows how to unlock Apple’s new security feature using a customised mask.

According to Ngo Tuan Anh, vice president of the firm, they created a face mask through 3D printing.

He also added some makeup on the mask, as well as a prosthetic nose and simple paper cut-outs. Apparently, the combination managed to trick an iPhone X into unlocking.

It only cost Bkav $150 to create the mask which is not expensive if you’re a crook, spy or rival company trying to hack into a phone. After all, all you need is a photo of your target and a 3d printer.

“Potential targets shall not be regular users, but billionaires, leaders of major corporations, nation leaders, and agents like FBI need to understand the Face ID’s issue”, Bkav said.

Bkav Corporation said that Apple’s recognition mechanism was pretty slack.

“We just need a half face to create the mask. It was even simpler than we ourselves had thought.”

Bkav’s discovery caused some serious security concerns for iPhone X and other devices that feature Face ID. In fact, Anh himself claimed that hackers will have a better chance of unlocking an iPhone X without using any programs.

Apple had insisted that the iPhone X was secure and could not be unlocked with a mask. But then again it also said its programmers could write a clock program that could tell the time.

During their introduction of the phone in September, executive Phil Schiller revealed that Apple’s top-notch engineers teamed up with professional mask makers and famous makeup artists in Hollywood to make Face ID more secure and efficient.

Apple insisted that its artificial intelligence can recognize the difference between a real face and a mask. But then it also said that it was value for money.

 

Last modified on 14 November 2017
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