Two researchers from Michigan State University have devised a new method to hack into smartphones that use Fingerprint biometrics. It doesn’t use any fancy hardware or software. The only thing that you need is your age-old inkjet printer. It is said that it can be done in less than 15 minutes and can easily trick the Fingerprint scanner. The researchers behind this hack are Kai Cao and Anil.K.Jain, part of the Department of Computer Science. They’ve also said that it is much more efficient than the gummy finger technique, devised by Chaos Computer Club of Germany. This technique gained widespread attention after the launch of iPhone 5S.
Apart from an inkjet printer, the users would also need AgIC silver conductive ink cartridges, black ink cartridge, and special AgIC paper. The total setup would cost less than $500. Now there will be a question in your mind. How can a phone be unlocked simply by using a printer and some paper? This process can even be used on stolen phones. All you need to do is scan the fingerprint from the smartphone at 300dpi. Flip it horizontally and then print it on the glossy side of the special paper. The special glossy paper has conductive ink which helps it to be recognized on the phone.
The method has been tested on four phones already and it works on two of them. It was tested on Samsung Galaxy S6, Huawei Honor 7, iPhone 5S and Meizu MX4. The Honor 7 and Galaxy S6 were unlocked, but the other two phones were able to withstand the tests. Honor 7 needed more tries, but the S6 was unlocked easily.