President of mobile security firm Vkansee, Jason Chaikin, created a mold of his fingerprint. He then took the modeling clay Play-Doh, pressed it on to the mold and created a replica. Chaikin touched the Play-Doh on an iPhone’s fingerprint scanner and the device easily gave Chaikin access.
The hack demonstrated by Chaikin would not be practical for cyber criminals but it demonstrates how easily little ingenuity could trick the sensors. Chaikin demonstration also highlights the lack of sophistication in today’s biometric solutions, not just on iPhones, but on other smartphones and devices too.