Samsung Galaxy S10's ultrasonic fingerprint scanner can be bypassed; here's how

All is not well for Samsung with its latest and greatest flagship — Samsung Galaxy S10. One of the most marketed features of the smartphone is the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that Samsung claimed to be the most secure way of unlocking the device. In a latest report, this ‘secure’ fingerprint scanner has been bypassed with the help of a 3D printed fingerprint.

An Imgur user called darkshark uploaded a post explaining the process of bypassing the 'accurate and efficient ultrasonic fingerprint scanner' on the S10. The user took a picture of his fingerprint on a wineglass, increased the contrast and created a mask image. With the help of animation and rendering software 3ds Max, the user managed to get a detail of the fingerprint.

Next, the user printed a 3D model of the fingerprint sensor using an AnyCubic Photon LCD resin printer. After three attempts, the user was able to fool the fingerprint scanner and unlock the device. He claimed that the results could have been better with the use of a DSLR-clicked image.

This is not the first time that the S10's biometric sensor has been fooled. Popular YouTuber Lewis Hilsenteger on his channel Unbox Therapy uploaded a video showcasing the S10's face unlock flaw. Hilsenteger stated that one could easily unlock a device with a photo or a video of the registered person’s face.

To demonstrate the issue, he played his own video on another device (Pixel 3) and held it in front of the Galaxy S10's face unlock sensor. After adjusting the secondary smartphone in front of the S10, Hilsenteger was able to bypass the lock screen and have access to the smartphone.

He did the same test multiple times and unlocked the device on all occasions. The company issued a statement saying, "Face recognition is a convenient action to unlock your phone. For cases requiring strong security, Samsung recommends using the new in-display Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner that unlocks only with your physical fingerprint. The Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner has been certified by FIDO Alliance with the world's first Biometric Component Certification that recognises its vault-like security and industry best-practice for biometric-enabled devices."

Though the process of 3D printing a fingerprint is tedious, it puts Samsung's claim to rest that the biometric authentication method is the most secure way to unlock a device.