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Samsung Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner Bypass Method Is Unrealistic, Claims Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner Bypass Method Is Unrealistic, Claims Samsung

By Shekhar Thakran | Updated: 26 May 2017 19:05 IST

Highlights

The video was released earlier this week
The bypass technique makes use of printed image and contact lens
We couldn't bypass the facial recognitio using printed image in our tests

Samsung Galaxy S8's iris scanner has been a subject of a debate lately as a German hacking group recently claimed that the security feature can be bypassed using a photo and contact lens. Now, the South Korean company has reportedly termed the method used by the hacking group as unrealistic in real life and questioned the methods used in the video that was released recently.

A Samsung spokesperson said that the technique used in the video released by the hacker group seems simple but it is hard to see it happening in real life, as per a report by The Korea Herald. "You need a camera that can capture infrared light (used in the video), which is no longer available in the market. Also, you need to take a photo of the owner's iris and steal his smartphone. It is difficult for the whole scenario to happen in reality," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The explanation from the company comes in response to a video posted by the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), a German hacking group founded back in 1981, which shows the Galaxy S8 being unlocked using a printed picture of the owner's eye with a contact lens on top to replicate the curvature of a real eyeball. "A high-resolution picture from the internet is sufficient to capture an iris," CCC spokesman Dirk Engling was quoted as saying earlier this week. "Ironically, we got the best results with laser printers made by Samsung," he said.

While tricking a feature doesn't appear to be a very dangerous thing at surface, Samsung allows users to use iris scanner to make mobile payments, apart from unlocking the smartphone. In these kinds of cases, it becomes crucial that a security feature offered by the company doesn't become an easy target for hackers.

Notably, we found in our own testing of the Samsung Galaxy S8 that the facial recognition feature could not be fooled by just using a printed image or the image of the owner on a separate display.

Samsung Galaxy S8

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Gorgeous looks and excellent construction quality
Brilliant displays
Phenomenal camera quality
Class-leading performance

Bad
No flat screen option
Nearly unusable fingerprint reader
Software stuffed with unnecessary features

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S8 review

Display 5.80-inch

Processor Samsung Exynos 8895

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3000mAh

OS Android 7.0

Resolution 1440x2960 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy S8+

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Gorgeous looks and excellent construction quality
Brilliant displays
Phenomenal camera quality
Class-leading performance

Bad
No flat screen option
Nearly unusable fingerprint reader
Software stuffed with unnecessary features

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S8+ review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Samsung Exynos 8895

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3500mAh

OS Android 7.0

Resolution 1440x2960 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Choose a variant

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Further reading: Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner, Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner Bypass, Galaxy S8 Security Feature, Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8, Samsung, Mobiles, Android

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Samsung Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner Bypass Method Is Unrealistic, Claims Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung Galaxy S8+

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