1 huge overlooked problem with a fingerprint sensor

[acfusion29]

to all the non-foreveraloners on here, what if your significant other wants to get into your phone?

easy.. wait for you to sleep and then use your thumb to gain access.

inb4 "but then there's no trust.. blah blah blah"

 

[Wormald]

to all the non-foreveraloners on here, what if your significant other wants to get into your phone?

easy.. wait for you to sleep and then use your thumb to gain access.

inb4 "but then there's no trust.. blah blah blah"

Disable the sensor, use a passcode instead.

 

[walmartmartyr]

if your finger don't unlock the phone, a password option will pop up id say.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I think you have a bigger problem if your significant other gets into your phone while you're asleep.

 

[Glideslope]

Disable the sensor, use a passcode instead.

Please read above!!!! You will have 3 Choices: Print Sensor, Short Passcode, Long Passcode. Not everyone has fingers .

 

[MJD Dawg]

to all the non-foreveraloners on here, what if your significant other wants to get into your phone?

easy.. wait for you to sleep and then use your thumb to gain access.

inb4 "but then there's no trust.. blah blah blah"

You know, nobody else has ever thought about this before. Not even the engineers at Apple.

You're the first one!

 

[Shockwave78]

I think most would know if they were asleep and someone starts fiddling with there hands...

The more problematic thing is if someone is passed out drunk, then its open game..I could VERY MUCH see people saying let's get this guy/girl drunk as **** so they pass out so we can get into there phone. Actually...make that a garuntee, i would be the one instigating it probably lol

 

[user-name-here]

I think you have a bigger problem if your significant other gets into your phone while you're asleep.

Exactly.

If some girl I was dating used my thumb while I was asleep to spy through my phone instead of simply talking to me about whatever paranoid feelings she was having, then she did me a favor as I would break things off with her.

If your relationship is that messed up to begin with that you would have to worry about this scenario then either disable the fingerprint sensor, get rid of the guy/girl, or get some relationship counseling

 

[roxics]

Forget the girlfriend. The bigger issue is Tom Hanks

 

[OneMike]

I'd be more worried about people being out and drunk and such.

If you're married I don't see the issue with your other seeing your device. Not going to debate on that though.

 

[lolkthxbai]

to all the non-foreveraloners on here, what if your significant other wants to get into your phone?

easy.. wait for you to sleep and then use your thumb to gain access.

inb4 "but then there's no trust.. blah blah blah"

You run the same risk with having your other personal items searched like your work clothes, wallet, journal, briefcase, laptop (with no password). I see where your going with this but maybe Apple thought of this already and has a solution in mind. Heck, if we were able to think of it I'm sure they have.

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If the rumored iWatch ever makes it to market, I would love to see the watch sense when I'm asleep and refuse all fingerprint unlocking without second verification like a passcode.

 

[verwon]

I think you have a bigger problem if your significant other gets into your phone while you're asleep.

This!

If they have to do this, then your relationship is in serious trouble, because there are major trust issues that aren't being admitted and dealt with like adults.

 

[joeblow7777]

First, it's not overlooked. This is at least the 3rd time I've seen this exact scenario brought up.

Second, you don't have to use the fingerprint scanner. I'm sure you'll still be able to choose to use a passcode.

Third, as others have said, your relationship and trust issues aren't Apple's problem.

 

[Makaveliarts]

Hopefully, for the INITIAL unlock process, there could be an option to have both a FP scan AND a passcode entry to unlock.


If not, I will be the main advocate for such an update. I KNOW that the scenario we are discussing would happen to me.

Also, I am hoping that we can lock apps like iMessage, pictures, etc etc. so we can let someone use our phone without having to worry about them being able to creep through your personal stuff. and when you go to use said app, it would prompt for a FP scan, which undoubtedly would be quick.

Please.. Apple, fix this problem for me, I never want to have to worry about someone being able to get into my phone, again.

 

[SluGuru]

Lol, someone thinks of one rare scenario in which this will be more insecure. Four digit passcodes are extremely easy to crack. With this you actually have to have access to someones finger. How many cases can a hacker have access to your finger vs guessing a four digit password. That can be cracked with brute force in less than 30 seconds. A finger print scanner is exponentially more secure to a billionth power.

 

[walmartmartyr]

theres more than your wife wanting to get in your phone, your kids as well, not cool if you have to unlock your phone over and over for them.

Like all scanners, there is multiple fingers you can record, whos to say you always have to use your right thumb, maybe your left thumb, or index finger, or even your pinky. If you want others to be able to get in your phone, then register their fingers also.

 

[joeblow7777]

Lol, someone thinks of one rare scenario in which this will be more insecure. Four digit passcodes are extremely easy to crack. With this you actually have to have access to someones finger. How many cases can a hacker have access to your finger vs guessing a four digit password. That can be cracked with brute force in less than 30 seconds. A finger print scanner is exponentially more secure to a billionth power.

I agree about the fingerprint scanning concerns being generally paranoid, but how would someone crack even a 4 digit in 30 seconds as you say without using hacking software that most people don't have and/or will require the outright theft of the phone to employ? You make it sound like it's easy to simply guess a 4 digit code out of 10 000 possibilities

 

[SluGuru]

I agree about the fingerprint scanning concerns being generally paranoid, but how would someone crack even a 4 digit in 30 seconds as you say without using hacking software that most people don't have and/or will require the outright theft of the phone to employ? You make it sound like it's easy to simply guess a 4 digit code out of 10 000 possibilities

It's secure to your average Joe. But, from the information we have people use a four digit they will easily remember like birthday, last 4 SS number, or last 4 of phone number. It is almost always one of those numbers people pick, it's not nearly 10,000 possibilities for most people a fingerprint scan is uncrackable without a finger print. It is hard to get people to understand how insanely more secure a figure print is.

Anyone who could do real damage to your data will not have access to your finger. They will run a small program that can crack 4 digits easily. Cracking 4 numbers randomly may be 1 in 10,000 but a fingerprint is 1 in billions maybe trillions chance to match the data. However, it is easy once you have common data about someone. Four digits could reduce to 1 in 100 or even less compared to a 1 in billions chance. It's just not comparable. If you think it's even within the same universe you must study the topic much more closely and understand the tech behind the equations. It has nothing to do with guessing.

Cracking a fingerprint is impossible with a theft of the phone. Steal an iPhone with a fingerprint encryption, it's worthless. Steal an iPhone with a four digit encryption and people are resetting them easily and making their cash.

 

[joeblow7777]

It's secure to your average Joe. But, from the information we have people use a four digit they will easily remember like birthday, last 4 SS number, or last 4 of phone number. It is almost always one of those numbers people pick, it's not nearly 10,000 possibilities

I was speaking under the (admittedly bad) assumption that most people aren't idiots and therefore would avoid obvious choices.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

theres more than your wife wanting to get in your phone, your kids as well, not cool if you have to unlock your phone over and over for them.

Like all scanners, there is multiple fingers you can record, whos to say you always have to use your right thumb, maybe your left thumb, or index finger, or even your pinky. If you want others to be able to get in your phone, then register their fingers also.

I agree. Surely the user will be able to register multiple thumbprints to unlock the phone.

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

I think you have a bigger problem if your significant other gets into your phone while you're asleep.

iThought™ that they're all NSA agents. Not!?

 

[LostSoul80]

to all the non-foreveraloners on here, what if your significant other wants to get into your phone?

easy.. wait for you to sleep and then use your thumb to gain access.

inb4 "but then there's no trust.. blah blah blah"

That's enough for Apple to redesign the iPhone 5S, and destroy the already shipped devices.
Now, thanks to you, Apple won't introduce the successor to the iPhone 5 on the 10th. I think no one would have ever been able to think of such a clever idea before this post. Thanks for sharing though.

 

[sandy-locke]

to all the non-foreveraloners on here, what if your significant other wants to get into your phone?

easy.. wait for you to sleep and then use your thumb to gain access.

inb4 "but then there's no trust.. blah blah blah"

I don't care, I have nothing to hide

 

[inselstudent]

Here's another thing nobody seems to have considered so far. Imagine the only way to unlock you device would be through the fingerprint scanner, and ahortly after setting it up you lose both hands due to a tragic accident involving mad squirrels. Then how would you ever unlock your phone again, let alone use it at all?!?!11/ maybe Apple is smart and it doubles as a nose scanner...but still, the thought alone makes me shiver

 

[skunk]

Here's another thing nobody seems to have considered so far. Imagine the only way to unlock you device would be through the fingerprint scanner, and ahortly after setting it up you lose both hands due to a tragic accident involving mad squirrels. Then how would you ever unlock your phone again, let alone use it at all?!?!11/ maybe Apple is smart and it doubles as a nose scanner...but still, the thought alone makes me shiver

Just ask the NSA nicely and I'm sure they'll unlock it for you.