Galaxy S10: the sensor under the screen deceived by a fingerprint printed in 3D

The Galaxy S10 is equipped with an ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen. According to Samsung, this technology is more reliable and secure than the optical scanner found on the OnePlus 6T or the Xiaomi Mi 9, for example. Yet, a 3D fingerprint is enough to deceive the sensor and unlock. the smartphone ... Explanations.

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 + with two biometric unlock modes: an ultrasonic sensor under the screen and a 2D face recognition system. Unreliable, the facial recognition of the Galaxy S10 can be deceived by a simple photo or a similar facies. A user has managed to unlock the Galaxy S10 of his brother with his own face. Many users therefore prefer the fingerprint sensor under the screen, which Samsung has long touted the merits.

Internet user cheats Galaxy S10 fingerprint scanner with 3D printed photo

Unfortunately, this ultrasonic fingerprint reader designed in partnership with Qualcomm is not foolproof. As reported by our fellow SamMobile, a user named Darkshark has managed to deceive the scanner using a fingerprint made with a 3D printer.

As he relates on Imgur, he took a picture of his fingerprint left on a glass of wine using his smartphone. Then, he reworked the image on Photoshop to increase the contrast and the details. With dedicated software, he extracted details about the depth of the fingerprint.

He entered this data into the LCD AnyCubic Photon, a 3D printer sold for around € 700. The machine has released a 3D image of its fingerprint. To obtain a satisfactory rendering, the user had to repeat the manipulation several times. He then simply put the fingerprint on the Galaxy S10 screen, where the ultrasonic scanner is located, to unlock the smartphone. "In fact, it works as well as with my finger," explains Darkshark.

His prowess raises many security issues. "If I steal someone's phone, their fingerprints are already on it," says the user. A clever thief is therefore perfectly able to unlock your Galaxy S10. "Most banking applications require only fingerprint authentication for full access to the bank account" Darkshark alert.

Samsung will he manage to evolve his ultrasonic scanner to fill this fault? The manufacturer has in any case promised to improve the fingerprint sensor Galaxy S10 through updates.