What are fingerprint scanners and how do they work? Is a fingerprint scanner in a mobile phone safe? Why do you need a scanner in a smartphone?
Today, digital technologies have penetrated almost all areas of our lives: in a couple of clicks we make purchases on the Internet, deposit and withdraw cash on a bank card, perform various operations with virtual accounts, and also store our photos and other data in cloud storage. With all the globalization of digital technologies, the issue regarding the protection of personal data still remains relevant.
It's no secret that modern advanced attackers no longer use a crowbar and master keys, but masterfully use the same digital technologies and software for their own selfish purposes. Smartphones still remain vulnerable, since with their help the user often logs in to various online services. And, if just yesterday data on a smartphone was protected through a pattern or passwords, then in recent years many manufacturers have begun to introduce different types of biometric protection, which are based on the unique structure of certain parts of the human body. In particular, we are talking about fingerprints, facial geometry, retina, voice identification. Biometric authentication is a fairly reliable and convenient method of protection. And most importantly, you won’t forget such a “password”, you won’t spy on it, and besides, it’s always at hand, so to speak. Today we will talk about the fingerprint scanner in a smartphone or, in other words, a fingerprint scanner. It is interesting to know what this device is, what types of scanners there are, and also how it works.
It should be noted that the identification process using fingerprints is on par with the most reliable methods by which a user’s identity can be confirmed. In terms of authentication accuracy, fingerprint scanning is second only to the method that involves scanning the retina of the eye, as well as DNA analysis. Human fingerprints are represented by papillary patterns on the skin, which are unique for each person, and they appear in utero, at the twelfth week, synchronously with the nervous system. Interestingly, papillary patterns can be influenced by various factors, for example, this concerns the child’s genetic code and other things. In other words, papillary patterns are ridges and grooves on the skin that form a unique and unique pattern. Even a minor injury or damage to the skin cannot “erase” the print, since it will recover over time, unless, of course, half a finger is blown off as a result of the injury.
How does a fingerprint scanner work in a modern smartphone?
Fingerprint scanners have two main functions. Using the first of them, the scanner reads the fingerprint image, while the second function checks the match of the fingerprint with those existing in the database. Almost all modern smartphones use optical scanners. The principle of their operation is similar to digital cameras. The picture is taken using a microcircuit that includes light-sensitive photodiodes, as well as an autonomous lighting source in the form of a matrix of LEDs, with the help of which the patterns on the finger are highlighted.
When light hits the readable papillary pattern, an electrical charge is created using photodiodes, resulting in an individual pixel being imprinted on a future image. Using pixels of varying intensity, a fingerprint image is formed on the scanner. In addition, before checking the fingerprint with the database, the scanner checks the quality of the image.
After receiving a fingerprint image, it is analyzed by special software using complex algorithms. By the way, three types of fingerprint patterns are analyzed: arc, loop and curl. After the software has determined the type of pattern, the endings of the lines of the patterns are identified (breaks or bifurcations, which are called minutiae), because they are unique and can be used to identify the owner of the device. Next comes a rather complex analysis, in which the scanner analyzes the position of the minutiae in relation to each other, dividing the print into microblocks. It is noteworthy that during the matching process the scanner does not analyze a single line of the pattern. The scanner detects matches in individual blocks and uses them to determine similarity.
What types of fingerprint scanners are there?
Optical scanners come in two main types. As for the first of them, it removes the desired area of the finger by touching it directly to the scanner. This type is used in Apple smartphones, starting with the iPhone 5s. Regarding the second type, we note that in this case the user slides his finger over an optical scanner. The result is a series of images that are combined into one by software. Samsung used this type in its products for some time, however, over time it switched to the first type because it is more convenient, although more expensive. The main disadvantage of an optical fingerprint scanner is its vulnerability to scratches and contamination. You can also “circle it around your finger” using a cast of the phalanx of the finger.
It is also worth noting the semiconductor type of fingerprint scanner, which is not used in smartphones for a number of reasons. It is impossible to deceive him with the help of a finger impression. Another type of fingerprint scanner is an ultrasonic scanner. It has great prospects for development, and it operates on the principle of medical ultrasound. It is almost impossible to deceive it, since it is able to penetrate the epidermal layer of the skin, which is unique.
It should be noted that scanners can be placed in different parts of the smartphone. Many manufacturers install a fingerprint scanner on the rear panel, recently there has been a fashion for the side edge, and HMD is preparing its new flagship with an integrated scanner in the display.
Officially, support for a fingerprint scanner appeared in Android 6.0, but many users still perceive it only as a means to unlock their smartphone. Meanwhile, the scanner can be used to press the Home or Back buttons, open the curtain, shoot with the camera, launch applications, protect passwords, SMS, photos and bank accounts. And if you know how to use Tasker, you can assign almost any action to the fingerprint scanner.
Let's immediately make a reservation that in this article we will talk about smartphones based on Android 6.0, in which a fingerprint scanner and access to it are implemented according to Google requirements. Only such smartphones allow third-party applications to use the scanner for their own purposes. Chinese and some other smartphones with a fingerprint scanner and Android 5.0/5.1 are not suitable, since although they support unlocking the smartphone with the touch of a finger, they do not have an API with which third-party software could use it.
1. We attach a “Home”, “Back” or any other button to the scanner
Probably the most useful use that you can come up with for a fingerprint scanner is to attach one of the hardware or on-screen buttons to it, be it “Home”, “Back” or “Browse”. All this can be done with the Fingerprint Quick Action application.
Install the application, check the box next to “Allow Fingerprint Quick Action”. The “Special” window will open. capabilities”, in which you need to find the application and enable it. Then you can assign one of many actions to a single, double click or swipe on the scanner, including the “Back” and “Home” buttons, as well as “Turn off screen”, “Show notification panel” (as in Google Pixel), “Split screen” (to run two applications simultaneously in Android 7.0) and others.
Keep in mind that the double-tap and swipe functions are experimental and therefore work very poorly (in fact, they don’t work). You should limit yourself to just a single click.
2. Launch applications
The same Fingerprint Quick Action allows you to launch applications using the scanner. This can be very convenient if you most often use a smartphone, for example, to communicate on Telegram/WhatsApp or make calls. This way, access to your phone or instant messenger will always be at hand.
You can select an application in the same way as assigning a button. You need to scroll the list of actions to the very end and select Launch app or shortcut (yes, the application is not completely translated), then the Single tap app or shortcut option will appear in the main application window. Here you can select an application.
3. Protecting applications
Using a fingerprint scanner, you can not only launch, but also protect applications. To do this, you can use App Lock - an application that allows you to block access to selected applications using a PIN code, pattern or fingerprint.
It is very easy to use. We launch the application, turn on “Unlock with fingerprint”, then enter either a PIN or a pattern (here it’s called a pattern), skip the screen asking you to enter your email, on the next screen go to settings, select App Lock, activate and return. A list of applications will appear on the next screen. To enable protection, just activate the switch next to the application name. Now, when you try to launch the application, you will be asked to place your finger on the scanner.
However, you shouldn't take App Lock as really serious protection. All you need to do to bypass it is to either kill the App Lock process or uninstall the application. So this is more likely to be protection from children or simply technically illiterate users who may have a smartphone in their hands.
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We're just used to taking a smartphone out of a pocket or bag, and pressing the power button to turn on the screen, then sliding the curtain up to completely unlock the smartphone. Almost everyone did this. Of course, at that time there were also various locking mechanisms such as passwords or PIN codes, but they were used and are still used today, in fact only a few. A fingerprint scanner in a smartphone was only available in expensive devices. It seems like only for the elite. But let's think about it, do we really need these fingerprint scanners in our smartphones? Isn't this a show off!?
Let's start with a little history. It sometimes seems to us that the fingerprint scanner, or as it is also called, the fingerprint sensor, appeared quite recently. However, it is not. Such scanners first appeared in laptops in the early 2000s. And one of the first was the Acer TravelMate 739TLV. In order for the computer to recognize your fingerprint through the scanner, it needed about 12 seconds. A little later, in 2002, Hewlett Packard released its first pocket computer that had such a sensor, and it was the HP iPAQ H5400. Then many different well-known and not so well-known companies tried their hand at this business. And it all ended with the same thing: no one was interested in such an unlocking feature, although the implementation was very good. And such equipment with this sensor was expensive.
In 2011, Motorola presented the world's first Android smartphone with a fingerprint scanner. It was a Motorola Atrix 4G. And even then, no one needed such smartphones until 2013, when the most prestigious company in the world, Apple, introduced the iPhone 5S with a fingerprint sensor. And after that everything moved forward. And this was the result of the fact that now almost every modern smartphone has such a sensor.
What types of fingerprint scanners are there?
There are several types of fingerprint sensors on the market now. And this thermal, optic, radiofrequency, ultrasonic, semiconductor And scanner that measures blood pressure. Of all these scanners, mobile technology uses an optical scanner, which is cheap and easy to implement. It works by photographing a finger. Such scanners have a resolution of up to 1200 dpi. However, as practice shows, smartphones with these optical scanners often experience various errors, for which the smartphone simply does not recognize the fingers of the owner of the wisdom phone. For example, the operation of just such a sensor is negatively affected by contamination of the phone sensor itself, or a person’s fingers, or even damage to the skin of the fingers. And such optical scanners are the easiest to deceive.
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are replacing optical scanners. These sensors scan the surface of your fingers with ultrasonic waves. Thanks to this, they instantly and easily recognize your fingerprints. Even if there are some cuts on the skin of your fingers, or if the smartphone itself is dirty, nothing is scary for such ultrasonic fingerprint scanners, and it will easily recognize your fingerprints. And most importantly, such sensors are extremely difficult to fool. At the moment, such sensors are only found in devices such as LeEco Le Max 2, LeEco Le Pro 3 and Xiaomi Mi 5S with the 4/128 modification. In theory, such ultrasound scanners could be placed under a smartphone screen. That is, this means that somewhere in the near future we will see smartphones that will have huge screens on the entire front side of the gadget, and the fingerprint scanner will be in the intended place under the screen itself.
Show-off or necessity?
Today, the smartphone is, and will be in the future, that personal device that is constantly with us. They have become so personal that the gadget’s memory contains all the important data, photos and files, and access to bank cards. And therefore their protection is a very important thing. What can I say, we can now easily pay in a store, or even in a cafe, using a fingerprint sensor instead of a password or PIN code, which we do not need to enter publicly. And therefore, since smartphones have become our devices, which contain virtually all of our lives, they must be protected from scammers and thieves. And despite the fact that fingerprint sensors are at a fairly basic level, such protection will always be useful to each of us.
Today they are repositories of important personal and even financial information. And this information needs reliable protection, guarded by a fingerprint scanner in a smartphone.
Fingerprint scanner – new data protection
In the future, our smartphones will only contain more personal financial data. Now the majority of our fellow citizens do not use virtual wallets linked to our mobile devices, but over time, the convenience of contactless payments will force them to take a closer look at them. Therefore, protecting the data of our bank cards, which will be stored in a smartphone, will become more relevant than ever.
Until recently, we relied on passwords, patterns or PIN codes to protect mobile devices from unauthorized access. These are truly reliable methods in modern conditions, but they can also be hacked. As an alternative to them, Apple at one time proposed using fingerprint user identification technology. Once in smartphones, the fingerprint scanner quickly gained popularity, so it is not surprising that major Android device manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, Huawei and others also appeared with models with it.
However, 2015 was the most successful year for this technology. The fingerprint scanner is no longer an attribute of only premium, and therefore expensive, smartphones. This year, many Chinese manufacturers have equipped their low-cost devices with scanners, thus ensuring the technology's path to the masses. As of the end of this year, there are already smartphones priced around $100 with fingerprint scanners. That is why we can assume that in the future the scanner will become as integral an attribute of a smartphone as the camera.
Is it good or bad? We don't have a clear answer. Like any other technology, smartphone fingerprint scanners have their pros and cons. We decided to conduct a detailed analysis of what is good and what is bad about this technology. Those who use it or are just about to purchase a smartphone with a scanner may find this information useful.
Benefits of using a fingerprint scanner
Much has already been said about the advantages of using technology to identify the owner of a mobile device using his fingerprint. If we highlight three main components, they will be: ease of use, security and new opportunities. Let's take a closer look at each of these components.
Ease of use of the scanner
Those who first encountered this identification method note that using it on their smartphone is very convenient. You no longer need to bother with coming up with various passwords, graphic keys, or just PIN codes. Just one touch and the smartphone is unlocked. This, of course, not only saves time, but also has another undeniable advantage - you don’t need to remember anything.
It just so happens in our lives that passwords are often lost or forgotten. And our fingers are always with us, and the pattern on them does not change, so there is no need to be afraid of losing access to your smartphone and the important information stored on it.
New opportunities
Moreover, in modern conditions, the fingerprint scanner in a smartphone has ceased to be just a tool for unlocking it. Increasingly, manufacturers offer us to use this technology in order to log in to our favorite sites, without entering a login and password. More and more app developers are using a scanner to confirm in-app purchases. And contactless payment systems, such as Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, are generally built on the basis of this technology, which provides final confirmation of the required payment from a linked bank card.
Security of identification technology
Well, probably the most significant advantage of using fingerprint scanners in smartphones is increased security. Essentially, only the owner can access the mobile device and the information stored on it.
It is well known that no two fingerprints are alike, so unlocking a smartphone by another person is almost impossible. In addition, other methods of protection, such as passwords, PIN codes and graphic keys, can either be spied on or “hacked”, whereas this cannot be done with a fingerprint.
Of course, theoretically, there is an option, more like a spy story, with taking your fingerprint, for example from a glass, and applying it to a special film that is used for identification. However, in practice, it makes sense to use such methods only if you are a very important person, and information of “national importance” is stored on your smartphone. So, in many ways, a fingerprint scanner is safer than other methods of keeping information on a device safe.
But, like any barrel of honey, there is a fly in the ointment; the use of fingerprint scanners also has its drawbacks.
Fingerprint scanner: something to think about
And no matter how paradoxical it may sound, the main drawback of scanners is that they are presented as their main advantage - safety. When you first purchase a smartphone with a fingerprint scanner, the first time you turn it on, it will ask you to leave your fingerprints. This information is digitized and stored in the smartphone’s memory. Apple specialists have done a much better job of protecting this data than Android OS developers, but not everything is so rosy here.
In fact, in Android smartphones, data about the owner's fingerprints is stored in the form of unencrypted files in the local memory of the device, which makes it very vulnerable to hackers. So, in fact, a smartphone may be less secure than its owner may imagine. Programmers from all over the world have repeatedly paid attention to this, and in the middle of this year information appeared on the Internet that hackers managed to “hack” some smartphones and obtain this data.
What happens if your password or PIN becomes known to attackers? You just change it and thus protect your data. If your fingerprint information is stolen, you will not be able to do anything, and your data will always be at risk of unauthorized access.
How to ensure the security of personal information?
Whether or not to use a fingerprint scanner in a smartphone is something everyone can decide for themselves. Moreover, this question, apparently, will confront most of us, since such scanners are likely to soon become commonplace and a familiar accessory of all smartphones without exception.
In our opinion, it is important to maintain a balance between ease of use and security. After all, many of us don't use any tools at all to protect our mobile gadgets, not wanting to waste time on additional steps when unlocking. Therefore, for them, the fingerprint scanner will only make unlocking the device even easier. For others, this is a reason to think.
For those who want to reliably protect personal information, we can advise using multi-level protection, especially since modern smartphones allow this. For example, after entering a password, pattern or PIN code, you can identify yourself using a fingerprint. Or vice versa, after placing your finger on the scanner, enter another key.
In the end, it is stupid to resist the development of technology and deprive oneself of the convenience and comfort that it brings. Armed with the necessary information gleaned from this article and taking a few additional steps with your smartphone, you can reliably protect it from access by unauthorized persons.
Do you use a fingerprint scanner on your smartphone? Share your experience in the comments to the article.
Almost every low-budget smartphone is now equipped with a fingerprint scanner. Most manufacturers claim that using fingerprint sensors is not only convenient, but also safe.
We are all accustomed to using this technology to unlock our smartphones, but it can perform many more useful functions. Many believe that this technology was first used by Apple in the iPhone 5S. In fact, between 2002 and 2011, about 30 phones equipped with a fingerprint sensor went on sale. In 2011, Motorola released a smartphone on the Android operating system, which featured a full-fledged fingerprint scanner on the back cover. However, the device and the new technology were almost immediately forgotten, and only Apple employees were able to regain interest in it.
What types of fingerprint scanners are there?
There are several types of scanners, the most common being optical. Most manufacturers use this type - it is not only the most budget-friendly, but also the easiest to implement. The principle of operation is to “photograph” and remember the fingerprint. Such fingerprint scanners have a number of disadvantages, because the quality and response speed are affected by the contamination of the scanner, the cleanliness and humidity of the finger, as well as the presence of mechanical damage on it. In addition, they are the easiest to deceive.
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are gradually replacing their predecessors. They scan the surface of the finger using sound waves. This technology is safer, the response time is shorter, dirt and damage to the skin are not dangerous. At the moment, several top smartphones from Chinese manufacturers are equipped with this type of sensor.
Fingerprint scanner features
Do not forget that today the smartphone plays a truly extremely important role in the life of almost every person. This is not only a device for making calls and writing messages, but also a real storage of personal data, photos, memories, notes and financial information. All this requires reliable protection, which is provided by the fingerprint scanner. Thus, its first function is to be able to smartphone unlocking.
The second function can be called access to personal files. On some Android smartphones, you can set the fingerprint request not only when unlocking the device, but also when opening certain applications, such as gallery, calendar or documents. In addition, such a function will be useful for restricting access to certain financial applications. Just remember how many children bought things or tanks in online games using their parents’ smartphones?
In some Huawei models, using a fingerprint sensor, you can answer the call- you just need to put your finger on the scanner and wait for the conversation to start. At first glance, this function seems convenient, but, on the other hand, there is a high probability of picking up the phone accidentally.
Payment on the Internet. Using special applications, you can make purchases in online stores, money transfers, pay utility bills and much more. Using a fingerprint scanner, you can significantly reduce transaction time and confirm payment by simply touching the fingerprint.
Data transfer . Smartphones are equipped with many functions, one of which allows you to transfer a file from device to device over the air, for example, via Bluetooth. In order not to enter your password again, you can confirm the action using a fingerprint scanner.
Using a scanner you can turn off the alarm. The principle of operation is exactly the same as in all of the above cases - as soon as the sound of the alarm is heard, just place your finger on the sensor and the alarm will automatically turn off. Just don't forget to set auto-repeat, otherwise you might oversleep.
How reliable is the fingerprint scanner?
Fingerprint sensors can rightfully be considered reliable. However, hackers have already learned how to hack them. The most common way is to take a photo of the print (for example, on a transparent glass vase), print it using an inkjet printer and attach it to the scanner. This method can only work with the first generations of fingerprint sensors.
To unlock new generations you will need to get clever - make a cast from silicone. Of course, these methods are more similar to examples from the movies, but you still need to be alert and take care of your smartphone.
