Iranian group found Touch ID bug

The iPhone 5S was launced two week ago, and just available in stores. The new device came with a new biometric security system, Touch ID, which utilizes the user’s fingerprint to unlock the phone.

Apple promise that the new technology will better protect your device from unauthorized access to your device. Apart from unlocking the phone, users can also use the Touch ID to purchase from iTunes. It will basically replace the need to key in password. According to Apple, “Fingerprint is one of the best passcodes in the world. It’s always with you, and no two are exactly alike”.

Interestingly, Touch ID is not only designed to scan the fingerprint of your fingers. It works with various human body parts which are not fingers as well.

An Iranian group from Tehran came up with another Touch ID hack, which shows how they defeated the basic purpose of the Fingerprint scan, “No two fingerprints are exactly alike”. In the video demonstration, the group set up the Fingerprint scanner with a mix of 6 people on the iPhone 5S which allowed all of them to unlock the device with their own fingerprint.

Apple indicated that the chance that Touch ID will misread a finger is 1 in 50,000 , this is because Touch ID is not designed to capture the fingerprint in strict mode, that can unlock the device with partial part of the scanned impression. Which means, if one will setup the unlock settings of an iPhone with a merged fingerprint of multiple users, a partial scan of an individual user will be enough to unlock the device.

Note: this Touch ID bug works with iOS 7.0.2 as well.