Striking a peace sign in selfies could lead to fingerprint data theft, researchers warn
The proliferation of mobile devices with high-quality cameras and social media sites where photographs can be easily posted is raising the risk of personal information being leaked, according to reports
Could flashing the “peace” sign in photos lead to fingerprint data being stolen?
Research by a team at Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) says so, raising alarm bells over the popular two-fingered pose.
Fingerprint recognition technology is becoming widely available to verify identities, such as when logging on to smartphones, tablets and laptop computers.
Fingerprint data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a picture
But the proliferation of mobile devices with high-quality cameras and social media sites where photographs can be easily posted is raising the risk of personal information being leaked, reports said.
The NII researchers were able to copy fingerprints based on photos taken by a digital camera three metres away from the subject.
“Just by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera, fingerprints can become widely available,” NII researcher Isao Echizen told the Sankei Shimbun newspaper for an article published on Monday.
“Fingerprint data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a picture,” Echizen also told Yomiuri TV.