Welcome to iPhone 5s

Apple launched its new smartphones, iPhone 5s and 5c. The smartphone giant has included a biometric device in iPhone 5s called Touch ID, which is a fingerprint sensor that allows users to unlock their iPhone or authenticate downloads from App Store, iTunes or iBooks, by simply placing their finger on the device.

The implementation of a biometric device in the iPhone 5S is a very interesting functionality. This functionality allows users to make payments safely on  iTunes or on other secure websites.

With the improvement in technology, biometric systems have evolved significantly in recent years and, as we can see, a fingerprint sensor today could be a strong system that is straightforward to bypass . This solution may seem to be out of a 007 film but duplicate fingerprints or a finger that is cut off from owner, are classical techniques to crack a control system based on fingerprint technology. Some cars like the Mercedes S-class have biometric systems, although you can bypass security using an amputated finger. I know it sounds morbid, but there have been incidents of car thefts in Malaysia using amputated fingers.

So, is it possible to surround Touch ID using a fake finger or a cut off finger silicone fake? The answer to this question is quite simple. No, it is not possible. Apple is not the first company to design a robust fingerprint sensor that is able to “avoid dead fingers”.  In fact, for years, many firms using security systems, use technologies that are able to detect blood flow in a finger (or hand). This way, the system can confirm whether the finger on the reader actually belongs to a living person (heart rate, temperature, etc.).

In the case of the iPhone 5S, no checking or transaction is done with an image or probing finger temperature. Here, the technology is based on a capacitive sensor that is able to detect the layers of our skin and generate a reliable map of our footprint and their reaction to an electromagnetic field (which is employed to observe skin layers).

Obviously, if we use our finger on a silicone that mimics the footprint of another, Touch ID will not work because the layer structure of our skin will not match the owner of the device (although we have a good replica of the fingerprint).

In short, if you distrusted the fingerprint sensor of iPhone 5S and feared the worst,  you can actually be calm and not fear you will lose one of your fingers.

The detection of “dead fingers” is something that has been in use in biometrics for many years and is not designed exclusively for Apple. But we must recognize that the Apple inclusion in a smartphone is a groundbreaking concept and quite original.

Reflecting on the future of such a system, I do not think it will be long before we see it in other manufacturer’s designs especially those who like to focus on providing their users with an extra level of security.