With the Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung seems to have ditched the iris scanner in favor of an in-display fingerprint scanner and a face unlock feature. If you are planning on picking up the phone, you should probably take note that maybe using the face unlock feature might not be the best way to secure your phone.
This is because according to a post by mobiFlip.de on Twitter, the German publication shared a video in which the Galaxy S10’s face unlock feature was bypassed using nothing but a photograph. Now to be fair, Samsung did not really talk much about the facial recognition feature during their announcement so it is possible that they could still be using a very rudimentary version of the feature that isn’t quite up to the standards we’ve come to expect yet.
To be fair, Samsung never actually advertised that its facial recognition feature was designed to be as secure than its fingerprint scanner. If they truly wanted a more in-depth system, they would need a more complex setup which explains why companies such as Apple need the notch where components for the TrueDepth system are housed. A test conducted by Forbes last year yielded similar results, although Samsung had warned customers then that the system used was not as secure compared to using PIN or fingerprints.
That being said, you should not be so quick to discount the Galaxy S10 yet based on this. This is because the handset uses Qualcomm’s ultrasonic in-display fingerprint technology which is said to be more secure than regular optical fingerprint scanners.
Regular optical scanners have the potential to be fooled using things like a photo of your fingerprint or a prosthetic fingerprint. Granted it’s not exactly an easy process to pull off, but it is still a valid concern. Perhaps in the future Samsung might introduce more robust facial recognition technology, but until then it seems like Apple’s Face ID is still the system to beat.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ Gesichtserkennung mit einem Foto ausgetrickst. pic.twitter.com/AzsPxxpG7d
— mobiFlip.de (@mobiFlip) February 26, 2019
Filed in . Read more about Galaxy S10, Samsung and Security.