What you need to know
- Samsung has told Reuters that a software patch will soon be rolled out to fix a bug with fingerprint recognition on the Galaxy S10 that allows unauthorized access.
- The bug allows unregistered users to unlock the phone when a third-party screen protector is installed.
- Online-only KaKaobank in South Korea has advised its customers to stop using the Galaxy S10's fingerprint recognition feature for authentication till the bug is fixed by Samsung.
Update: October 17 11:00 AM ET:
Reaffirming that it is working on fixing the issue, Samsung issued the following statement to us:
We are investigating this issue and will be deploying a software patch soon. We encourage any customers with questions or who need support downloading the latest software to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.
A report published by The Sun a few days back claimed a British Galaxy S10 user found a security flaw on her Galaxy S10 that allowed it to be unlocked even by people who did not have their fingerprints registered.
After she installed a third-party screen protector on her Galaxy S10, her husband was able to unlock it, even though his fingerprints were not registered on the phone. Samsung has now acknowledged the issue and told Reuters that a software update will soon be rolled out fix the problem.
As per Samsung, the issue can happen when "patterns of some screen protectors that come with silicone phone cases are recognized along with fingerprints." Since the flaw allows almost anyone to easily unlock a Galaxy S10 with a third-party screen protector installed, South Korea's online-only KaKaobank has asked its customers to stop using fingerprint recognition to log into its services until Samsung releases a software patch.
This isn't the first time that an issue with the Galaxy S10's ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor has surfaced. In April, Imgur user "darkshark" successfully thwarted the sensor with the help of a 3D printed fingerprint. The smartphone's facial recognition feature can be easily fooled too. However, Samsung will be beefing up its facial recognition feature with the upcoming Android 10 update.
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