Villalobos, Krystal

Mr. Wisner

World History

Period

April 14, 2017

That Fingerprint Sensor on Your

Phone Is Not as Safe as You Think
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/technology/fingerprint-security-smartphones-apple-google
-samsung.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fpersonaltech

Key Vocabulary from the Article (Define at least 4).

o postdoctoral- relating to or denoting research undertaken after the completion of
doctoral research.
o midrange-the middle part of the range of audible frequencies
o simulations-the production of a computer model of something, especially for the
purpose of study.
o commercially-in a way that is concerned with buying, selling, and making a
profit.

Summary of the Event (at least 3 major points; each point will have its own paragraph)
New York University and Michigan State University researchers have published some of
their findings from a study about the safety of fingerprint sensors. There they explain how by
computer simulations they were able to make Masterprints, which are fingerprints composed
of common features from human fingerprints. They did not test it on smartphones, and although
security experts claim that the match rates would be low, there is still a chance of fingerprints
matching. A professor named Andy Adler said if all I want to do is take your phone and use
your Apple Pay to buy stuff, if I can get into 1 in 10 phones, thats not bad odds.
The main reason as to why fingerprint sensors on phones are not completely foolproof is
because of the scanners size. Full fingerprints are hard to copy, but typical phones take 8 to 10
images of a finger or thumb to make a match. This makes the chances for someone to break into
the phone bigger. Nasir Memon, a professor at engineering said, Its as if you have 30
passwords and the attacker only has to match one. He said that if you could somehow make a
glove with Masterprints on every finger you could get into 40 to 50 percent of iphones, all before
the PIN is requested. Another reason as to why fingerprint sensors arent very safe is because of
the amount of scanning required to unlock the phone. Phones generally require only one scan
which makes it not as reliable as it could be if there were 2 or 3..
 The researchers and professors were cautious about what implications they led on about
their findings. They had not tested it out on phones or other fingerprint security systems.
Researchers say they used midrange, commercially available software program which limited
their suitability. They advice to atleast take off the fingerprint authentication for important app
like mobile payments to prevent any break ins.

Your Opinion of the Event (at least 3 sentences).

Fingerprint sensors are really amazing. However, I think that smartphones should require
more scanning attempts. If every smart phone with the fingerprint sensor would require
two scanning attempts the persons phone would have double the security.

Relate your Event to a Historical Event (compare and contrast with current event).\
A historical event that this could be compared to is to when people back then thought that if they
hung fragrant herbs & such on their neck they were safe from the black plague. We thought our
phones were safe but apparently theyre not. No one is ever safe.

Relate your Event to the a subtheme (at least 3 sentences).

This event could be related to science and technology. Through technology researchers have
come to some findings that could change up the game for phone companies. They couldve also
couldve given thieves some ideas.

Questions You Have About the Event (4).

Why didnt they broaden their research to make sure smart phones fingerprint sensors are unsafe
before they published it?

At the beginning of the article it said the study was by New York University and Michigan State
University but throughout the article the author mentions other universities, so which is it?

Would people still use the fingerprint sensors if phones made them scan their finger/thumb more
than once?

What is safer, fingerprint sensors or PINs?