More Details on How the Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor Works

[158273]

A lot of people are focusing on whether Touch ID will recognize your fingerprint or whether you're going to be locked out of your phone. And that if it recognizes your fingerprint, therefore it's a success and not a touchgate.

But the real test is yet to come: will Touch ID reject foreign fingerprints every single time? It's one thing to have your fingerprint recognized successfully, but if the matching algorithm is too lax and allows any "similar" fingerprint to access your phone, then we've got a problem.

 

[CosmoPilot]

So we need an option to only have the finger print scanner active on during certain hours or the day (and with an additional time-out). That would reduce the risk of the at-sleep scenarios being played out.

On a timeout, or after these hours, a password would be required.

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On point 3, wrong if they've 'stolen' your finger (although hopefully that part will still required a passcode).

Activation Lock requires your unique Apple ID and Password. This will not be tied to Touch ID, because it works when the phone is put into DFU.

I swear, Apple throws great tech out there claiming half of its users don't even use a passcodes and the conspiracy theorists come out in droves talking about chopped off fingers and passed out college kids! But don't explain how these same criminal masterminds don't force users to pony up passcodes or discuss how many college kids don't have passcodes now and still survive.

At the end of the day, if you don't trust it...don't enable it. It's an OPTION, not a requirement!!!

 

[158273]

Why do you think police or rowdy friends can't force you and take your passcode and unlock the phone ? 🙄

Taking information from someone's mind requires threat of harm, which rowdy friends won't be willing to actually follow through on. Whereas Touch ID only requires a bit of physical force and can be passed off as "Oh, we were just playing around, we just wanted to see your photos" / what you were writing down in your notes."

For the regular user who never puts a password on their devices anyway, this will certainly be a step up though.

 

[tlevier]

My Rant

But is it a rant?

Look, first thing is first. Adding Touch ID is great. It's another option of convenience for those that can and will use it. With that said, here's what you should consider.

Touch ID allows for 5 prints to be stored. Maybe 3 of yours, 1 for your wife and 1 for your kid.

I'm eager to learn how Touch ID responds to a paper cut or a splinter. If you stored only 1 print and relied on that finger, it would suck to be locked out of your own phone because you got a splinter. Always have a back up print. To deal with this, one would think that Touch ID and Passcode could be used simultaneously. I would love to set up a complex pass-phrase on my phone, but I don't currently because I don't want to re-enter it 15 times a day. If I could short-cut that complex pass-phrase most of the time with Touch ID, great! Now we're getting somewhere.

Additionally, if something happens to your fingers, such as grabbing hot metal for no good reason, and you burn the skin off, you have a recourse to access your device.

So, let's move on...

You've set your kid up to use your device. Each print should have permissions. I would want my kid to be able to unlock my device, but not buy apps on the app store. Additionally, to address the police concerns raised previously (and I originally thought of this too) I would want one of my prints to lock down the device and Touch ID. Doing this would then require my complex pass-phrase or pass-phrase/Touch ID combo.

However, if Touch ID replaces pass-phrase and passcode when used, then it is as simple as being restrained while someone scans in your print.

To give Apple some props though, I'm glad the prints are only ever stored in the device and never transferred out. That there's actual physical security in the chip to protect the data from becoming compromised. Great job!

 

[purplesaber]

They should use this technology for guns.

 

[tlevier]

They should use this technology for guns.

This makes no sense.

 

[purplesaber]

This makes no sense.

Sorry for not explaining -- I meant that having a fingerprint identification system on a gun or firearm (essentially locking the gun to the rightful owner) seems like a good idea to me and would cut down on accidents, theft, and crimes involving guns.

 

[twigman08]

Future breaking news story: Man knocked unconscious by thief. Thief steals man's iPhone only after using man's finger to unlock it. Man sues Apple.

Sad thing: With how people are it would more than likely happen....

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Sorry for not explaining -- I meant that having a fingerprint identification system on a gun or firearm (essentially locking the gun to the rightful owner) seems like a good idea to me and would cut down on accidents, theft, and crimes involving guns.

Like a Smart Gun?
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bul...lled-by-fingerprint-production-to-begin/18647

 

[purplesaber]

That's is what I was thinking about -- glad to hear there are companies working on it!

 

[manu chao]

I beg to differ. Why wouldn't a thief take your finger along with your iPhone? If you think otherwise, you haven't done much traveling.

If a thief is willing to use violence they might as well just threaten you to cut of a finger if you don't tell them the passcode.

 

[AaronEdwards]

If a thief is willing to use violence they might as well just threaten you to cut of a finger if you don't tell them the passcode.

The violence needed to press someone's finger (that's still attached to their hand) onto the sensor is most likely nowhere near the violence needed to get the same person to tell you the passcode.

A lot of people are focusing on whether Touch ID will recognize your fingerprint or whether you're going to be locked out of your phone. And that if it recognizes your fingerprint, therefore it's a success and not a touchgate.

But the real test is yet to come: will Touch ID reject foreign fingerprints every single time? It's one thing to have your fingerprint recognized successfully, but if the matching algorithm is too lax and allows any "similar" fingerprint to access your phone, then we've got a problem.

Most likely the people behind it prioritized keeping false negatives down, that is you not being able to unlock your own iPhone. As long as the phone only can be unlocked with a print from a real finger still attached to a live body (and that remains to be seen), false positives (being able to unlock someone else's iPhone with your finger) as way to get access to a certain phone will not be viable. But there will be stories about people finding out that someone else can unlock their 5S.

 

[Pro31]

I already know my wife's code and she knows mine. Don't give your spouse a reason to be jealous and this won't be a issue.

What if you work for an organization with sensitive data? Your spouse isn't allowed to see that. So really there are applications where what you do is not applicable.

 

[bradl]

What if you work for an organization with sensitive data? Your spouse isn't allowed to see that. So really there are applications where what you do is not applicable.

Should you be using your personal iPhone for work? If that data is that sensitive, you should keep those separate. Again, not something you should be sharing to begin with. Convenience of having a single phone should not trump the security of your work or your job.

BL.

 

[SrWebDeveloper]

If somebody chops off your finger, can they use it to unlock your iPhone? 😱

Definitely a new form of hacking. Literally.

 

[MacDav]

Yes

Are you sure? I've read it only works with a living finger. Also, how do they know which finger to cut off? 😉

 

[MacDav]

Thief (holding a gun to my head): "Which finger do you use to unlock your phone, so I can chop it off and unlock your phone?
Me: Hey, I have a great idea. I'll just unlock it for you and turn off any authentication so you can be on your way. Have a nice day now. 🙂

This whole chopping off the finger scenario is not only paranoid but just plain silly. Also. if they snuck up and knocked you out how would they know which finger to chop off, and why would they chop any fingers off when they can just use your fingers while they are still connected? Paranoia makes you think illogically. 😉

 

[chairguru22]

...and now the NSA has your fingerprints...

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Not unless you've been arrested or are not a US (or Canadian) citizen, then no, they won't.

Been to Disney World lately? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfjLwdutGw

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You guys worried about the NSA are ridiculous...

If you are that paranoid, DON'T USE IT!

and don't go to Disney World either, they've been collecting finger prints: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfjLwdutGw

 

[bradl]

Been to Disney World lately? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfjLwdutGw

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You guys worried about the NSA are ridiculous...

If you are that paranoid, DON'T USE IT!

and don't go to Disney World either, they've been collecting finger prints: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfjLwdutGw

I still wonder why they nor their parents didn't speak up when they took hand, finger, and footprints the day they were born. If they are this paranoid now, they should have been just as paranoid when they were younger.

BL.

 

[ConfusedChris]

Once a stolen phone is wiped remotely with Find My Phone it is effectively useless. (iOS 7) Get the word on the street.

 

[SHirsch999]

Image

First of all, don't diss "The Brady Bunch"! Awesome show! 😀
Second, I'm not sure why us each having the others pass code is a big deal. I set up the code for both phones, so of course I would have hers. She has mine because she often needs to use my phone when we are out somewhere, or even at home, and Thing 1 or Thing 2 are using hers. Even the kids know our passwords.

 

[Sir Cecil]

So, if your hand is trapped due to a car crash, or a work accident, or being stuck in an earthquake-damaged apartment, you can't use your phone to call for help?
Frustrating if your hand gets bitten off by a shark and after you've bravely struggled back to shore against the odds, you can't use the iPhone to summon assistance.

 

[zedzded]

First of all, don't diss "The Brady Bunch"! Awesome show! 😀
Second, I'm not sure why us each having the others pass code is a big deal. I set up the code for both phones, so of course I would have hers. She has mine because she often needs to use my phone when we are out somewhere, or even at home, and Thing 1 or Thing 2 are using hers. Even the kids know our passwords.

It's ok I was just kidding 🙂

 

[kdarling]

I already know my wife's code and she knows mine. Don't give your spouse a reason to be jealous and this won't be a issue.

There are good reasons not to give a spouse your security code.

A common example is when the phone contains confidential business or military information. There are millions of people in that situation. Giving out the code is cause for dismissal or loss of clearance or worse.

This is where a setup like Samsung's Knox version of Android is useful. Two separate internal secure partitions on the same phone: one side for work, one side for personal use.

 

[kdarling]

Been to Disney World lately?

Disney's ticket authentication fingerprint system temporarily stores the association of a finger to a ticket, so that multiple people cannot use the same pass.

According to Disney, that info is purged from their database after the ticket expires. (Because it's useless by itself.)

 

[ptb42]

They should use this technology for guns.

Sounds like a good idea, until you ask: what if an authorized user is locked out? The iPhone will require a passcode, so there is always a failsafe. If you have a need to fire a gun in self-defense, will you have time to do that?

The folks that think this is such a good idea never ask law enforcement or military. They roundly reject them, due to the lack of guaranteed reliability. Of course, some think it's a great idea for the people that might be shooting at them -- you might want to consider why that is true.