A British woman discovered that her Samsung Galaxy S10 could be unlocked using any fingerprint just because of a screen protector.
Samsung acknowledged the problem, saying it will soon release a software patch to fix the problem.
Screen Protector From eBay
It was only after 34-year-old Lisa Neilson bought a £2.70 ($3.47) screen protector on eBay that she discovered the problem with her Samsung Galaxy S10. It was Neilson’s right thumbprint set to unlock the phone, but with the screen protector, her left thumbprint could unlock it, too. What’s more, the phone also unlocked using both of her husband’s thumbs as well.
The screen protector allowed any fingerprint to unlock the phone. This was a concern for Neilson who has financial apps on her smartphone, so they immediately called Samsung, thinking there was a problem with the unit itself, but the representative told them that it looked like a security breach.
Nielson was then told that another department was going to conduct an investigation and get back to them, but they have so far yet to receive any message from Samsung. That said, a Samsung spokesperson told The Sun, which originally published Neilson’s story, that they are investigating the incident and that customers are advised to only use Samsung authorized accessories on their units.
Malfunctioning Fingerprint Recognition
Neilson is not the only one to experience this issue with Samsung’s fingerprint scanner. Ever since the story broke out, people have been posting videos of the method working by first unsuccessfully trying to unlock the phone with an untrained fingerprint, then trying it again, this time over a clear silicone case, and successfully unlocking the phone with the same fingerprint that initially failed.
이슈가 되고 있는 갤럭시 S10, 노트10 기종 실리콘 케이스 지문인식 뚫리는 현상 테스트해봤습니다.... 갤럭시 10시리즈 사용자분들 당장 지문잠금해제 푸세요 pic.twitter.com/tbmzErrmkP — StaLight (@Sta_Light_) October 16, 2019
According to the BBC, Samsung acknowledged the issue regarding the "malfunctioning" fingerprint recognition, and said that it will soon release a software patch to fix the problem. South Korea’s Kakao Bank even told customers to turn off the fingerprint recognition feature until the problem is fixed.
Previous reports say incompatible screen protectors may interfere with the fingerprint scanning because it leaves a small air gap between the sensor and the cover, whereas Samsung’s compatible screen protectors use a kind of gel or glue to remove the air gap around the sensors.
No matter the reason for the issue, this is something that users are concerned about and has to be fixed, especially given increasing concerns about cyberattacks and security breaches of late.
