The accuracy of fingerprint recognition was about 80%.
Cybersecurity researchers from Kraken Security Labs have demonstrated that fingerprint authentication can be circumvented with cheap consumables.
To hack the devices, specialists did not even need direct access to the owner’s fingerprint — only a photo of the surface he touched.
It was processed in Photoshop, made monochrome, and printed on acetate film on a laser printer. Toner gave the image a three-dimensional structure, and joiner’s glue “revived” the print.
Kraken is not the only laboratory that has managed to deceive the fingerprint sensor. In 2020, Cisco Talos published a report describing a similar method. In both cases, the recognition accuracy was about 80%.
Experts noted that most users are unlikely to encounter hacking, but it is not difficult to reproduce fingerprints if desired — they remain on any surfaces, from a glass in a restaurant to a taxi door.
Recommendations — do not consider the scanner as a secure alternative to a strong password and use it only for two-factor authorization.