Cyber security experts are warning that when you throw up a peace sign in a selfie, you may be handing hackers your fingerprints.
The fingerprint sensor on your phone is the key to revealing all the private information stored on the device, and it generally does a good job of keeping the info secure.
But what if a thief were to get a hold of your fingerprint, and your phone?
The National Institute of Informatics in Japan has warned that photos posted online where the "peace sign" is flashed may be all that's needed to hack the sensor system using your fingerprint.
Cyber security experts say smartphone camera technology is now so great, and images are so detailed, that fingerprints can be copied simply by showing your fingertips to the camera.
It's not just super close-ups. Data shows that fingerprints can be grabbed from photos taken up to three meters away.
Unless you're very bizarrely shaped in the picture, or have a super long selfie stick, that covers pretty much every selfie you're likely to take and post to social media.
After you post that picture, your fingerprint could be isolated and lead hackers to all of your personal information without you knowing, until it's too late.
Reg Harnish, CEO of Greycastle Security, says the process for stealing fingerprints from photos isn't necessarily simple.
"The image itself would have to be clear enough where someone could actually pull the finger print off," says Harnish. "Then you'd need some technology to take the picture and turn it into to something that's actually useful like the biometrics on your iPhone or either biometric scanners for logging onto your pc or other types of things.
Harnish says to be mindful of all of your other passwords and personal security options. He recommends you change your passwords periodically.
So be careful of where you're "chunkin' up the deuces". Or at the very least, turn your hand around so no one can steal your fingerprints.
How YOUR selfies are allowing crooks to steal your identity… by zooming in on your FINGERS: HD lenses mean thieves can replicate your fingerprints People uploading pictures to social media have been urged not to pose pulling the peace sign because crooks can use it to carry out identity theft. Celebrities are seen as those at the highest risk, but with fingerprint technology on the rise, people’s smartphones are seen as vulnerable and fraudsters could even break into workplaces … Professor Echizen carried out an experiment, which concluded data could be scanned from three metres away if the fingertips were exposed.
Fingerprint data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a picture,” Echizen also told Yomiuri TV.
He added that advanced technology was not necessary and anyone could easily copy fingerprints.
But NII says it has developed a transparent film containing titanium oxide that can be attached to fingers to hide their prints, the reports said.
The film prevents identity theft but does not interfere with fingerprints being effective in identity verification, the Sankei Shimbun reported.
It’s not the first time we’ve been warned against photographing our fingers. In 2014, a hacker demonstrated almost exactly the technique described above, where a German politician’s fingerprints were replicated from photos taken in public, from a distance of around three meters. A 3D mold of the fingerprint was created from the images, which could be used to unlock a secured phone.
He added that advanced technology was not necessary and anyone could easily copy fingerprints.
But NII says it has developed a transparent film containing titanium oxide that can be attached to fingers to hide their prints, the reports said.
The film prevents identity theft but does not interfere with fingerprints being effective in identity verification, the Sankei Shimbun reported.
It’s not the first time we’ve been warned against photographing our fingers. In 2014, a hacker demonstrated almost exactly the technique described above, where a German politician’s fingerprints were replicated from photos taken in public, from a distance of around three meters. A 3D mold of the fingerprint was created from the images, which could be used to unlock a secured phone.
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