Apple fingerprint tech raises 'privacy questions'

old_aussie

This could be of concern to new iphone users.

Hope it's easy to sort out.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24177851

Johnmb

old_aussie wrote: »

This could be of concern to new iphone users.

Hope it's easy to sort out.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24177851

Yeah, because US Senators are never idiots who don't know what they are talking about just looking for cheap publicity. The biggest threats to privacy are the laws they will pass, but thankfully the fingerprint data won't be held on any servers that they can require access to.

drunkmonkey

Super secret special servers, not a hope, every fingerprint will be handed over to the NSA whether they admit it or not.

Sticking with my iPhone 5, A VPN paid for on a prepaid credit card and the onion browser.

See you on the dark side ; )

Johnmb

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Super secret special servers, not a hope, every fingerprint will be handed over to the NSA whether they admit it or not.

Sticking with my iPhone 5, A VPN paid for on a prepaid credit card and the onion browser.

See you on the dark side ; )

No servers at all, secret or otherwise. It's all stored on the phone itself. Unless they can get that off you, there is no data for them to force Apple to hand over.

drunkmonkey

So the data is never backed up to the cloud or locally to your pc/mac via iTunes and it's also un-hackable on the chip, even if it was possible that the NSA could gain access Apple would still have to claim it was impossible.

With over 1.2 million serious crimes in the states every year, if Apple have the knowledge to help solve some of those crimes their commiting a crime by not sharing the data and you can bet that's how the NSA looks at it.

Matching a finger print from a crime scene to person has never been as easy. There not going to waste this opportunity.

Rambo

old_aussie wrote: »

This could be of concern to new iphone users.

Hope it's easy to sort out.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24177851

The finger print is written to A7 chip stored to file like a usb pen
if not encrypted Apple should get a big BAD APPLE
at the moment only Apple api can read this file lock screen and app store

I am hoping when you reset your phone this data should also be deleted
if iphone is sold or stolen

arch_stanton

Senator of government that trawls your data in gmail, hotmail, Facebook, Skype etc, has hacked SSL, records and scans phone conversations, expresses privacy concerns. He's not on Saturday night live anymore but Al Frankin appears to be still a comedian

mad muffin

After stealing someone's thumbprint, hackers could "impersonate you for the rest of your life,"

Looks like this guy still thinks he's a comedian. :rolleyes:

ressem

By default it categorizes the finger print by loops, whorls etc, then captures the location of a few key areas. Unless a third party app is able to grab control of the fingerprint reader and spoof you into identifying with it, it's of little concern.

What might be interesting is can a fingerprint be faked using the smudged fingerprint residue smearing the collection of photos you pasted on facebook.

Besides, if you use sandals instead of shoes like any true Apple follower you can use a different digit each year for the next 20 years.

Sad Professor

I guess this is the next -gate scandal that the blogosphere will throw a wobbler over and then completely forget about after a few months.

DuckSlice

Just don't commit any crimes so they won't have to search for your fingerprint. It's hardly a big deal unless your planing on committing a serious offence and stupid enough not to wear gloves

Rambo

etxp wrote: »

Just don't commit any crimes so they won't have to search for your fingerprint. It's hardly a big deal unless your planing on committing a serious offence and stupid enough not to wear gloves

If you are a Criminal don't be so silly to own a IPHONE 5S because Apple
could release your finger print data to the FBI or Garda if they get your phone of you

here comes the dumb criminals let go get them

Cienciano

Wear gloves if you're committing serious crimes. Problem solved

Johnmb

drunkmonkey wrote: »

So the data is never backed up to the cloud or locally to your pc/mac via iTunes and it's also un-hackable on the chip, even if it was possible that the NSA could gain access Apple would still have to claim it was impossible.

With over 1.2 million serious crimes in the states every year, if Apple have the knowledge to help solve some of those crimes their commiting a crime by not sharing the data and you can bet that's how the NSA looks at it.

Matching a finger print from a crime scene to person has never been as easy. There not going to waste this opportunity.

I don't think you have the right idea about the information that will be stored on the phone. The article here sums it up pretty well:
http://www.tuaw.com/2013/09/22/iphone-5s-fingerprint-sensor-gets-completely-misunderstood/

Second, the iPhone doesn't actually store fingerprint data in the first place. The iPhone 5s maps your fingerprint and converts that into a string of data (a one-way hash), then holds onto that chunk of data. The next time you put your paws on the phone, the same hashing process produces another data chunk; the two chunks -- not the two fingerprint images -- are matched up to allow access. In fact, assuming the hashing process works the same way as it does for existing iPhone passcodes, the fingerprint data is encoded in a way that's specific to that individual phone (salted). Copying it anywhere else would be useless. (Have we been hearing about hacker gangs remotely stealing iPhone passcodes via magical processes to use them elsewhere? No, we have not -- and if we had, it would almost certainly be via social engineering or visual spying as the phone is unlocked, both of which are impossible with Touch ID. –Ed.)

kaizersoze

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0923/475864-iphone-fingerprint/

Creamy Goodness

how is lifting a fingerprint 'hacking'.

if so i'm a hacker when I can easily shoulder surf your pin when you're unlocking your phone.

Sideshow Mark

A little more detail than rte's "they took a photo" explaination taken from macrumors...

First, the fingerprint of the enroled user is photographed with 2400 dpi resolution. The resulting image is then cleaned up, inverted and laser printed with 1200 dpi onto transparent sheet with a thick toner setting. Finally, pink latex milk or white woodglue is smeared into the pattern created by the toner onto the transparent sheet. After it cures, the thin latex sheet is lifted from the sheet, breathed on to make it a tiny bit moist and then placed onto the sensor to unlock the phone.

Yes, I don't know why everyone's not doing it. Myth busted.

Draco

From what I can gather, it's more or less the same as one of the techniques that Mythbusters used in an episode from 2011:
http://youtu.be/3Hji3kp_i9k

Also, remember if you've traveled to the US in the last decade or so they already have your finger prints.

Sad Professor

Honestly, unless you are this guy -



- who cares?

Deep Thought

Sad Professor wrote: »

- who cares?

Agreed...

Piliger

old_aussie wrote: »

This could be of concern to new iphone users.

Hope it's easy to sort out.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24177851

I watched the recording of what he 'actually' says ... and his intentions seem sensible to me.

He is a good guy this Franken, imho, and he is speaking in the context of the current campaign against the appalling NSA.

It is the way it has been reported that makes it look like he is claiming dumb things.