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Researchers Hack Biometric Faces

Posted by kdawson on from the face-off dept.

yahoi sends in news from a week or so back: "Vietnamese researchers have cracked the facial recognition technology used for authentication in Lenovo, Asus, and Toshiba laptops in lieu of the standard logon/password. The researchers were able to easily bypass the biometric authentication system built into the laptops by using photos of an authorized user, as well as by presenting multiple phony facial images in brute-force attacks. One of the researchers will demonstrate the hack at Black Hat DC this week. He says the laptop makers should remove the facial biometrics feature from their products because the vulnerability of this technology can't be fixed."

5 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Ok then... by going_the_2Rpi_way · · Score: 4, Interesting

    He says the laptop makers should remove the facial biometrics feature from their products because the vulnerability of this technology can't be fixed.

    If that's the standard, all security features should be removed. Everything is somewhat vulnerable, and a determined intruder with infinite resource will almost always find a way in. The object is to make this unreasonably hard for most applications.

    If you get your laptop lifted at the coffee shop, they better lift your wallet too I guess.

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    1. Re:Ok then... by spleen_blender · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I don't comment that often but does anyone have any idea on the viability of stereoscopic facial recognition? Wouldn't that make a 3d model required to be presented to the input instead just a 2d one? Or two 2d images offset at the right angle for the distance from the cameras?

  2. ... Wow. by Valdrax · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The researchers were able to easily bypass the biometric authentication system built into the laptops by using photos of an authorized user [...]

    Tragically, sadly obvious. Not even a hack, really.

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  3. Last season in Burn Notice by HomerJ · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Even made a point of saying "facial recognition systems aren't all that secure. They can't tell the difference between a person and a photo of the person". Then he proceeded to break into the room by holding up a picture of someone that had access.

  4. Gesture + facial recognition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Wonder if, when you 'enrolled' your face in the recognition software, you held your hand(s) up in the image forming a symbol -- peace sign, one finger salute, whatever. Then someone would have to capture your image at the instant you authenticated.

    It would be customizeable and and changeable, unlike your face, and hard to duplicate blindly.