While iPhones are lauded for their security features, a mobile security firm demonstrated how a child’s toy could be used to hack an iPhone.
The method could likely be used on any smartphone with a fingerprint sensor, but the brief demonstration was conducted on an iPhone.
Jason Chaikin, president of Vkansee, first created a mold of his fingerprint, then transferred that to a small piece of Play-Doh. The fingerprint replica was then placed on the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner, which unlocked with little effort.
CNBC reports that while it is unlikely that criminals will take such efforts to break into smartphones, the demonstration highlights "the lack of sophistication in today's biometric solutions."
Vkansee is working on a new kind of fingerprint sensor that would be more resistant to hacking and would also work when fingers are wet, which has been a common consumer complaint.
Apple did not respond to CNBC’s request for a comment, but according to security information from Apple’s website, Touch ID allows only five unsuccessful fingerprint match attempts before a passcode is required to unlock the phone.
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