dSamsung Galaxy S5 is just out in market and here is the bad news which may leave existing users sleepless nights. Here is why: the Samsung Galaxy S5 fingerprint sensor is reportedly hacked. Hacked fingerprint sensor has exposed PayPal account owners and Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone owners vulnerable to data theft.
Researchers of German Security Research Labs had demonstrated how anyone can sneak past the fingerprint sensor of Samsung Galaxy S5 device by using ‘wood glue spoof’. Researchers took a photo of a fingerprint blotch left on the device screen and made a mold of wood glue. Later, the researcher was done following the same method they used while demonstrating hacking fingerprint scanner of Apple iPhone 5S, last year. However, they claimed that Samsung Galaxy S5 fingerprint sensor hack is considered more threatening.
Why Samsung Galaxy S5 fingerprint sensor hack is more dangerous?
The fingerprint scanner in Apple iPhone 5S is more secure with dual-layer verification system. Apple iPhone 5S owners need to key in passwords to unlock and authenticate after using the fingerprint sensor. Likewise, users also require inputting password every time the Smartphone restarts. Though many users complained of annoying and time-consuming, but made the device secure from becoming easily hacked. On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy S5 does not require any password after using the fingerprint sensor. Even after you reboot the device, users can unlock the phone by simply swiping on the screen. What is even more dangerous is that Samsung Galaxy S5 users do not require entering a password to use PayPal accounts and even to make transactions using the PayPal app once fingerprint sensor is configured on the device.
Hence, once any user cracks the fingerprint sensor and gains access to the device, can access services and apps such as PayPal without having to authenticate for making transactions. Researcher have made a video where they have demonstrated the security vulnerability in the Samsung Galaxy S5 fingerprint sensor.
