Here we can see, “How Safe Is Face ID & Touch ID?”
Face ID and Touch ID are claimed to be secure by Apple, and for the most part, they are. It’s quite improbable that a stranger will be able to unlock your phone. However, that isn’t the only form of attack to be concerned about. Let’s get a little more into this.
Face ID and Touch ID are remarkably similar beneath the hood, even though they use separate biometric authentication mechanisms. When you try to log in to your iPhone by gazing at the front camera or touching the touch sensor, the phone compares the biometric data it finds with data recorded in the Safe Enclave, a separate CPU whose sole function is to keep your phone secure. Your iPhone unlocks if the face or fingerprint matches. If this isn’t the case, you’ll be requested to enter your passcode. Is all of this secure, even if it sounds wonderful on paper?
Face ID and Touch ID are both relatively safe.
Touch ID and Face ID are both safe in general. According to Apple, there’s a one-in-50,000 chance that someone else’s fingerprint will unlock your iPhone and a one-in-one-million chance that someone else’s Face will.
- Someone has a one in 10,000 chance of guessing a four-digit passcode and a one in one million chance of guessing your six-digit passcode (and they get three tries before they’re locked out). That should help put things in context.
- It’s quite unlikely that someone will pick up—or steal—your phone and subsequently be able to open it using their fingerprint, Face, or even guessing your passcode.
- The only caveat is that identical twins or siblings who appear to be highly similar are more likely to produce a false positive. In that instance, there’s a chance your sibling will be able to use Face ID to unlock your phone.
- However, identical twins account for only 0.003% of the population, and therefore it’s not a risk that many people face. If you’re concerned about this, you can disable Face ID and instead use a safe passcode.
However, protecting against this type of unintentional infiltration isn’t the only issue to be concerned about.
Targeted Attacks on Face ID and Touch ID are a possibility.
While it’s almost assured that no random stranger will be able to sneak into your phone, things may be different if you’re the victim of a targeted attack.
- If someone can force you to log in, either by pressing your finger against the sensor (even while you’re sleeping) or by having you look at your phone, both Touch ID and Face ID are fully vulnerable. And both of these attacks are far less difficult to carry out than forcing someone to reveal their passcode.
- So, how about forging your fingerprints? Touch ID has been successfully hacked, and researchers could utilise false fingerprints to unlock Touch ID-protected devices. According to the same researchers, the technique is “far from trivial” and “still a little bit in the area of a John le Carré novel.”
- Essentially, the attackers want a high-resolution, non-smudged copy of your fingerprint, as well as thousands of dollars in equipment. Someone with enough determination might theoretically get into your phone this way—possibly even using a snapshot of your fingerprint.
- The truth is that the great majority of people’s data on their iPhones isn’t worth the cost and inconvenience of a cyberattack like this.
- Plus, if you have sensitive or valuable data, you’re probably taking extra precautions to protect it. This isn’t something that can be done to random people in a hurry.
- Face ID hasn’t been hacked yet, but it’ll certainly be vulnerable to the same types of assaults as Touch ID. Wired tried and failed for many thousand bucks, but that doesn’t imply it can’t be done. “I’m still 90% sure [hackers] can fool this,” says Marc Rogers, a hacker who advised Wired on the essay. The iPhone X has just been released a few months, so we’ll have to wait a year to see how things have changed.
- What it all boils down to is one of security’s axioms. No authentication technique will ever be able to withstand a determined attacker. There are always weaknesses that can be exploited; the question is how easy they are to exploit.
Nothing can keep you safe from the government.
No amount of security will fully protect you against a determined government agency—whether the US or foreign—with virtually unlimited resources and a desire to get into your phone. They have access to technologies like the GreyKey and can legally compel you to use Touch ID or Face ID to unlock your phone.
GreyKey is capable of cracking any iOS device passcode, rendering Touch ID and Face ID worthless. Apple works hard to shut vulnerabilities such as this one, but those looking for a quick buck work just as hard to develop new ones.
Touch ID and Face ID are tremendously convenient and, when paired with a strong passcode, secure enough for practically anyone to use daily. However, if you are the target of a determined hacker or government agency, they may not be able to keep you safe for long.
Conclusion
I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any queries or comments.
User Questions:
- Does Touch ID have a higher level of security than Face ID?
According to Apple, the odds of a random finger unlocking your phone are one in 50,000. Face ID is 20 times more secure than Touch ID based on that number alone. Fortunately, if the biometrics fail, you can still get in with your device passcode for Face ID and Touch ID.
- Is using Face ID on a bank app safe?
If you don’t have any sensitive information on your phone, unlocking it with your Face ID and fingerprint may pose no risk. Using your fingerprint or Face ID to get into your banking apps is not a good idea. To secure your financial apps, use pins or (alphanumeric) passwords.
- Is Apple Touch ID a secure system?
The data is decrypted when you enter your passcode or place your finger on a Touch ID sensor. The problem is, Touch ID and Face ID are fairly safe methods of protecting your phone, especially on the iPhone, which employs a separate decryption processor called Secure Enclave.
- After a month of using the iPhone X, what do you think about Touch ID vs. Face ID?
Touch ID vs. Face ID – Your opinion after 1 month of using the iPhone X from apple
- A Case for Touch ID in 2021
