Hackers claim to have beaten Apple’s
facial recognition security technology just one week after the iPhone X went on
sale.
Apple has previously claimed their
FaceID system on the new iPhone X cannot be fooled by photos, impersonators and
masks but cyber security firm Bkav said a 3D-printed mask which costs $150
(£115) to make has already fooled the new software.
FaceID is used to unlock the new iPhone
X, as well as allowing users to authorise payments and log in to apps. Apple
has been using fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button for several
years, but completely removed the home button on the newest iPhone model.
Watch the video here:
The researchers said their findings
proved that Face ID is ‘not an effective security measure’, although making the
mask did require a detailed facial scan, and would be difficult for normal users
to replicate. When the iPhone X was unveiled in
September, Apple claimed there was a ‘one in a million chance of another person
being able to unlock the phone’ and said they’d ‘stress-tested the technology
using silicone masks made by Hollywood studios’, writes the Telegraph.
Bkav constructed the mask using a
combination of 3D printing, a silicone nose and printed images of the eyes. In a video released by the company you
can appears see Face ID supposedly being fooled when a cloth covering the mask
is taken away.
FaceID caused some embarrassment for
Apple back when it was being unveiled ahead of its release. Things obviously didn’t go according to
plan when Craig Federighi, Apple senior vice president, attempted to demo the
feature in front of the audience in the room and no doubt the millions of
people watching at home. Federighi was extolling the virtues of
Face ID, telling the audience how easy it would be to operate and how secure
the phone would be as a result.
And then he was left completely
embarrassed when he tried to lift the phone to his face, only to be told to
enter the code for the phone because it had failed. A classic. Before the fiasco, Federighi said:
With iPhone X, your iPhone is locked
until you look at it, and it recognises you. Nothing has ever been more simple,
natural and effortless. We call this Face ID. Face ID is the
future of how we unlock our smartphones and protect our sensitive information.
Apple said their Face ID technology is
unsuitable for children under the age of 13 or for twins, suggesting these
users set up a passcode instead. The company did not respond to a request
by The Telegraph for comment on Bkav’s findings.
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